LONDON COUNCILS EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND CO-FINANCING PROGRAMME

2013-2015

Tendering Prospectus April 2013 Deadline for tenders: 12 noon, 24th May 2013

Please note that any additional guidance or clarification on any points in this prospectus will be posted on London Councils and London Councils-Europe websites at the end of each week until 17th May 2013. It is important that you check the website to make sure that you do not miss any additional guidance.

www.londoncouncils.gov.uk Contents

01. Foreword by the Mayor of London ................................................................. 4
02. Introduction .................................................................................................. 5
03. Eligibility criteria ......................................................................................... 7
04. Submitting a tender ..................................................................................... 8
05. Cross cutting themes: Gateway criteria ....................................................... 21
06. Partnership working .................................................................................... 25
07. Participant eligibility ................................................................................... 25
08. Project activities and results ....................................................................... 28
09. Participant target group and project specifications .................................... 35
10. Brent – Specification 1 ............................................................................... 36 Project Specification 1: Employment support for residents with mental health issues – (Priority 1.1) ........ 40
11. Enfield – Specification 2 ........................................................................... 43 Project Specification 2: (Priority 1.1) .......................................................... 47
12. Hackney – Specification 3 ......................................................................... 50 Project Specification 3: (Priority 1.1) .......................................................... 53
13. Havering – Specification 4 ......................................................................... 56 Project Specification 4: (Priority 1.1) .......................................................... 59
14. Islington – Specification 5 .......................................................................... 66 Project Specification 5: (Priority 1.1) Self-employment ................................ 68
15. Redbridge – Specification 6 ....................................................................... 72 Project Specification 6: (Priority 1.1) .......................................................... 78
16. Sutton – Specification 7 ............................................................................. 81 Project Specification 7: (Priority 1.1) .......................................................... 84
17. Project duration .......................................................................................... 87
18. Soft outcomes ............................................................................................ 87
19. Added value ............................................................................................... 88
20. Financial information .................................................................................. 89
21. Publicity arrangements .............................................................................. 93
22. Assessment process ................................................................................... 94
23. Appeals ....................................................................................................... 96
24. Monitoring and reporting on your project ............................................... 96
25. Payment arrangements .............................................................................. 97
26. Key initiatives ............................................................................................ 98
27. Contacts ..................................................................................................... 108 Annex 1. Sustainable development: Further information .................................. 110 Annex 2. Checklist – Health cross cutting theme ............................................ 112 Annex 3. Core Participant MI Requirement (ESF and Match) ............................ 113
28. Foreword by the Mayor of London

Foreword by the Mayor of London

I am delighted to invite you to apply for the eighth London Councils European Social Fund (ESF) tendering round, which will invest £1.2 million ESF and match-funding from seven London boroughs to support disadvantaged groups into employment.

London is the engine of the UK economy and a world class city, driving productivity and growth. It is a magnet for the best and brightest talent across the globe. Despite this, many disadvantaged Londoners have not shared equally in the city’s prosperity. Significant pockets of worklessness contrast with highly successful and profitable labour markets. Londoners do not always have the skills or opportunities to share in the successes of London’s economy.

London remains a city of incredible opportunity. This round of ESF funding comes at the right time to support Londoners to compete for and access the jobs and opportunities our economy creates.

At the heart of all commissioning and delivery of employment and skills services is the desire to support people find and sustain employment and to progress at work. This prospectus will support over 800 unemployed and economically inactive Londoners with training and other assistance, in order to boost their skills and prospects for employment. By the end of the programme around 250 Londoners will have sustained employment.

I wish you all the best with your applications.

Boris Johnson

Mayor of London 2. Introduction

Welcome to the prospectus for the eighth round of the London Councils European Social Fund (ESF) Programme 2007-2013. This programme is part of the 2007-2013 London European Social Fund Programmes, which since 2007 and following the review of the Greater London Authority (GLA) powers, has been under the strategic direction of the Mayor. It is administered on his behalf by the GLA’s European Programmes Management Unit (EPMU).

The London ESF Regional Framework for 2011-13(^1) was developed by EPMU with guidance from the Mayor’s Office, and sets the strategic direction for ESF in London. Activities are aligned with national and regional skills and employment priorities including the Mayor of London’s Economic Development Strategy(^2).

The Framework informs the plans of the five London Co-financing Organisations (CFOs), who are responsible for match funding and allocating ESF. In order of size, the CFOs are:

- Skills Funding Agency
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Greater London Authority (GLA)
- London Councils
- National Offender Management Service (NOMS)

Each CFO has prepared an ESF Co-financing Plan which sets out the activities, outputs and results that contribute to the employment and skills priorities in the Regional ESF Framework. The contact details of the other CFOs are listed at the end of this document at section 27.

The Mayor’s Office has put greater emphasis on minimising duplication between Co-financers in London to ensure that ESF funding is used in the most effective way and to add value to existing provision. The five co-financing organisations, work closely to develop complementary programmes of activity for the region.

Since 2000, the ESF has been a key part of the EU's Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs. It supports the EU's goal of increasing employment by giving workless and disadvantaged people the training and support they need to enter jobs. By focusing on those most in need of help, it contributes to policies to reduce inequality and build a fairer society. The ESF also equips the workforce with the skills needed by business in a competitive global economy (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/).

The ESF was set up to improve employment opportunities in the European Union and so help raise standards of living. It aims to help people fulfil their potential by giving them better skills and better job prospects. This Programme combines funds from the seven London boroughs and the European Social Fund and enables London Councils to use its strategic position to enhance borough level employment and training projects. The participating boroughs are using the additional ESF to add value to the work they are

(^1) http://www.london.gov.uk/esf/regional-framework (^2) www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/mayor/publications/business-and-economy/eds doing and the borough specification prospectus list the strategic borough-level priorities the additional ESF funding will support.

The 2007-13 ESF Programme has two main priorities with a further three sub priorities within each of them.

**Priority 1 – Extending Employment Opportunities**

- **Priority 1.1** Improving the employability and skills of the unemployed and economically inactive people
- **Priority 1.2** Employment and Skills activities targeted at young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET
- **Priority 1.3** Community Grants programme for those groups furthest from the labour market

**Priority 2 – Creating a Skilled and Adaptable Workforce**

- **Priority 2.1** Increasing the Number of Employees with Improved Basic Skills
- **Priority 2.2** Increasing the Number of Employees with Improved level 2 skills
- **Priority 2.3** Increasing the Number of Employees with Improved level 3/4 skills

Please refer to the funding table in Section 6 of the London ESF Regional Framework for 2011-13[^3] for more information about the CFOs operating under each priority. Under the current round, London Councils and the participating boroughs welcome tenders from organisations and partnerships that are strategic and show links with other programmes. Projects should be innovative and add value to mainstream provision.

Table 1. Programme ESF and Match Funding Breakdown

| Borough(s) | Borough Match Funding | ESF | Total | |------------|-----------------------|-----|-------| | Brent | £100,000 | £100,000 | £200,000 | | Enfield | £100,000 | £100,000 | £200,000 | | Hackney | £125,000 | £125,000 | £250,000 | | Havering | £125,000 | £125,000 | £250,000 | | Islington | £50,000 | £50,000 | £100,000 | | Redbridge | £100,000 | £100,000 | £200,000 | | Sutton | £50,000 | £50,000 | £100,000 | | **Total** | **£650,000** | **£650,000** | **£1,300,000** |

The funding in this table reflects the total amount of funding leveraged towards the programme from the participating boroughs and the ESF and is inclusive of Management and Administration fees.

3. Eligibility criteria

London Councils will only fund organisations that are:

- **Constituted**: Organisations funded by London Councils must have a constitution or governing document that is signed and dated, and defines how the organisation will operate. A governing document can be a formal constitution, a memorandum or articles of association.

  1. Public or Local authority bodies can bid for contracts, however the body bidding must be separate and have appropriate ethical walls from the body awarding the funding.

- **Able to deliver the work solely in the borough(s) listed in the tender specification**: Unlike the main London Councils programme, organisations will be expected to work in one borough only, unless specified in the tender.

- **Financially solvent**: Organisations funded by London Councils must not have liabilities that are more than their current assets.

- **Able to begin delivery of project activity from July 2013**: Unless otherwise stated in the tender.

London Councils will not assess funding proposals from any organisation that does not meet the conditions listed above. However please note that this round is not restricted to voluntary sector providers.

______________________________________________________________________

4 London Councils will ensure that the scoring process will be open, transparent and fair and that ethical walls will be applied to the scoring and assessment of tenders. 4. Submitting a tender

a. Before you begin writing your tender

There are certain conditions for this funding that are outlined in the following sections. Please read this guidance carefully before completing the tender form and consult one of our advisors (please see Section 27) if anything is unclear.

If your organisation has previously applied for funding from London Councils, you are welcome to reapply in this round. However, please note that some changes have been made to the tender form and to the process itself, as well as to the way in which London Councils will fund projects under this round. London Councils wishes to ensure that projects chosen under this programme will deliver the targets outlined in its ESF Co-financing Plan, which, along with this prospectus, can be found on the London Councils website. Therefore, London Councils has set clear guidelines on the type of project it will fund for each target group. If you have any queries or need further guidance or support in putting together your tender, please contact one of the London Councils grants officer. If you would like discussion and advice on your project idea and possible help with partnership forming, you may also contact London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC). It may be necessary to make an appointment to speak to LVSC and applicants are treated on a first come first served basis. All contacts are listed in Section 27.

Tenders for the London Councils ESF Co-financing Programme 2013-2015 have to be submitted through an online application process:

https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_668?SA=SNA&FID=35058

Deadline for all tenders: 12 noon, 24th May 2013 Tenders submitted after the deadline will not be considered for any reason.

Leave yourself enough time to complete, review and amend the information you provide, upload the required documents and submit your online form before the deadline. Deadline days are often busy and you may not be able to reach a member of London Councils staff if you have any technical queries with submitting the form.

All tenders must be submitted through the online form and the Annexes provided on the Programme’s website, which, together with the prospectus and plan, can be downloaded from here:

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/grants/esf/default.htm The online tender form includes guidance for each section you need to complete and Annexes you need to upload.

Each scored sections will indicate the maximum available score. Please note that the risk register and track record attachments are also scored as standalone sections. All other attachments are not scored separately however they will support some of the scored sections and will be considered during the assessment process.

The person scoring your application can only assess the information stated in your application. You must assume that they know nothing about your organisation, or the needs of your community, so be clear about what activities you are going to do and for whom.

b. Things to remember about your online form

Once you have created a log-in to our form, you can save your on-line application at any point and come back to it later.

Once you have saved your on-line application you can open and change the form from any computer.

c. Help: If you need further assistance/information.

- Firstly read this guidance section.
- Secondly refer to the FAQs (these will be updated regularly) http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/grants/esf/docs.htm
- Thirdly if you still have not been able to find an answer then please email us. Your question and our response will be posted on the FAQs page. Please send your questions before 20 May 2013 as we may be unable to answer questions after that date.

d. Completing your online application form

i. Step one: Create an account login and access the online form

Click on the following link https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_668?SA=SNA&FID=35058 to create a login and access a new form, (or copy and paste into your internet address bar).

Now you will see this screen, where you create your account and login.

- Click on ‘New Applicant’
- You will be taken to a new page

**New Applicant?**

An account allows you to access your saved and submitted applications at any time, also allows us to send you a submission confirmation e-mail and notify you if additional information is necessary to process your application.

- E-mail

- Confirm E-mail

- Password (minimum of 5 characters)

- Confirm Password

- Click on the button marked ‘continue’ and you will move straight into the online form.

You must remember your email address and password as you will need it every time you log into your account. You can save and close your form, by clicking on ‘save and finish later’ now and at any time and return to the form by accessing your account.

To return to your account (where you can access forms already started) click on: https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_668?SA=AM

ii. Step two: Complete the online form

This part of the guidance includes details on how to complete the online tender form.

1. Technical help for using the online form

The information below will take you through how to use the online form to answer the questions.

For most of the form you are asked to simply type your answers into a box under the question.

Sometimes you are required to tick a box, select from options or upload a document. The guidance on completing each section is included within the question, upload area or the set template.

You will only be able to write in plain text within the answer boxes, therefore you will not be able to use formatting features (e.g. bolding, underlining, resizing and spacing). You can structure your text by adding line breaks and empty rows. Please bear in mind that scorers will have large amounts of information to process, and that it is in your interest to be as clear and concise as possible.

Mandatory fields

You must answer all questions marked with a purple diamond. If you do not answer these questions you will not be able to submit your application.

Spell check

Where you see a red tick you can click on it to perform a spell check.

Word limit

There is a word limit to some questions. Where this is the case the counter will show you how many words are left from the total allowed. Please note that row breaks will not count toward the word count.

Attachments

You will be required to upload a number of attachments to your tender form.

Before you can attach the documents online you need electronic versions of your documents saved onto your computer.

Retain the original format and file extension for all the set templates. If you don’t have electronic copies of other documents to be uploaded (e.g. Constitution) then you can scan the paper copies and save them in a folder on your computer. The maximum size for all attachments combined is 50MB. Files with .exe .com .vbs or .bat will not upload.

Uploading a document is similar to attaching a document to an email.

- To do this click on the ‘browse’ button next to the attachment you wish to upload.
- This will take you to documents on your pc/network. Search for the correct folder.
- Select the correct document and click ‘open’.
- Now click on the button ‘upload’.
- If you do not click ‘upload’ your document will not be uploaded to the form.
- If you have uploaded the wrong document simply click on ‘remove’.

2. How to save, print and return to your form

Saving your work

Once you are into the question part of the form you can save what you’ve done and come back to it at any point by pressing the ‘save and finish later’ button.

We strongly advise you to save your form as you go along. If you have not saved and your computer crashes you will lose all your work.

Once you have saved your work you will be taken to this screen (below). Simply click on your proposal and carry on working.

To return to your form Click on the following link. [https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_668?SA=AM](https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_668?SA=AM)

Log into your account using the email and password you created at the log in stage. You will see the screen above. To go back to your un-submitted application make sure the drop down menu states ‘In Progress Applications’ click onto the link to go back to your form.

If you have submitted your form you can still view it as a link under the ‘Submitted Applications’ in the drop down menu.

**To print**

Click Save and finish, come back to your form. Click on button ‘printer friendly version’ to print.

Please note you always need to click ‘save’ before printing your application so that your most up to date version prints out.

Do not send us your printed version; simply use it to check your work. **London Councils can only accept online applications** (unless in exceptional circumstances in which a group has written in advance (by 20 May 2013) to seek permission).

Additionally if you are a disability led organisation and need additional time to complete the tender process, London Councils need to be informed of this by the 20 May 2013 where they will take a decision. Where an extension is awarded London Councils will do this in writing before the standard submittal deadline. Requests for extensions received after 20 May 2013 will not be considered.

### 3. Completing the form – questions

The online tender form is divided into five main sections:

1. Introduction;
2. Your organisation;
3. Your project summary;
4. Your project delivery;
5. Declaration.

#### 1. Introduction

The form starts with introductory text covering the assessment of applications. Please read this carefully. The information below will give you guidance on the information required to answer each question.

**Documents you will need:**

- The first page of the form tells you exactly which documents you will need to upload as part of your tender form;
- There are 16 required documents to complete and upload to your tender.
- For some of the attachments, a set template has been created (marked with asterisk on the Introduction page’s attachment listing). You will be required to use these templates and you can download them from the tendering round’s website.
- Most attachments are compulsory to complete. These are marked with the sign;
- Some attachments only apply if your proposed project has delivery partners

The following documents need to be completed and attached before submitting this online form:

- A signed and dated copy of your constitution or memorandum and articles of association;
- A copy of your public and employer’s liability insurance certificates;
- Details on additional delivery partners (if you have more than 5 delivery partners)\*;
- Draft partnership agreements (where you intend to work in partnership);
- Target groups template\*;
- Employer support letters;
- Track record template\*;
- Profile form\*;
- Project’s structural chart;
- Risk register\*;
- A copy of your equal opportunities policy;
- A copy of your sustainable development policy or statement confirming that one will be implemented by the end of the first year of delivery;
- A copy of your health and safety policy;
- Budget template\*;
- A copy of your most recent signed audited accounts;
- Your current year budget and estimated next year budget.

\*download the template you have to use from tendering rounds’ website

Failure to provide the documents listed below can result in your application not being scored.

______________________________________________________________________

**2. Your organisation**

Give details of the lead organisation applying for the funding on this page of the tender form. You will also need to upload:

- a signed and dated copy of your constitution or memorandum and articles of association and
- a copy of your public and employer's liability insurance certificates on this page.

3. Your project summary

Provide general information about your project on this page. This includes the:

- project title;
- specification you are applying for;
- delivery start and end dates;
- project summary;
- delivery partner details (including two attachments if applicable);
- contact details for referee.

4. Your project delivery

This page includes the detailed description of your project, including your:

- target groups;
- employers you intend to work with (with Employer support letter attachments);
- proposed activities, outputs and results;
- track record (attach completed template);
- Delivery profile (attach completed template);
- Project management (including structural chart);
- Risk register (attach completed template);
- Cross cutting themes (relevant policies attached);
- Financial information (attach competed budget template, most recent signed audited accounts, current year budget and estimated next year budget).

5. Declaration

This is the final page of the form.

You must select ‘yes’ from the drop down menu if you agree that:

- You have read and understood the information contained in the London Councils Tendering Prospectus;
- the proposed activity is within the objects of your organisation's constitution;
- London Councils will share the application form and its contents with the participating boroughs and the City of London Corporation;
- this application has the support of your organisation's governing committee/board of trustees/senior management;
- all the information you have supplied is accurate; the information you have supplied about the proposed service is a realistic indication of what your organisation could achieve.

**IMPORTANT:**

You must select ‘YES’ for your tender to be assessed.

**Requirements**

We are not permitted to consider any additional information received after the application deadline so please make sure that you have included all the required information and attachments.

If you are aware that submitting an application may give rise to a potential conflict of interest please inform the London Councils. A conflict of interest maybe where you are related to a member or staff officer of London Councils or you have privileged information about London Councils that places you at an unfair advantage over other applicants in the application process.

London Councils is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You should be aware that the information you submit may be subject to a request for information from the public and London Councils may be required to provide information to external parties.

**Data protection**

Part or all of the information you give us will be held on computer and used for statistical purposes. It will also be used for the administration of applications and awards. We may provide copies of the information in confidence to individuals or organisations that are helping us assess applications or monitor funding. We may also be required to provide information contained in your application if we receive freedom of information request.

**Finishing the form**

- Now you are at the end of the form you may:

  - Save & Finish Later
  - Review & Submit

- You may wish to save and finish later. You may wish to print a copy to proof read it and save it.

- When you are ready to submit – click on ‘review and submit’

- If you have left any mandatory fields blank, or submitted the wrong kind of information (for example text in a box that can only accept numbers) a list of errors will appear in red as below. The red warning sign and red text will then appear next to any field that you need to amend.

- **IMPORTANT:** Once you have amended the fields, click on the button marked ‘update’ or the changes will not be saved.

- Once you have amended the fields and clicked ‘update’ a final version will appear for you to review.

- Once you are happy click on the button marked ‘submit’

- You will be taken to your account page, where you will see the following message. Important information

You must click ‘submit’ to send each application.

You will automatically be sent a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted form.

If you do not receive a confirmation email, you have not submitted your online form correctly.

Please check and submit again.

Once submitted you cannot amend your form but you can view it through your account. 5. Cross cutting themes: Gateway criteria

Cross cutting themes (CCTs) are issues that affect the whole of project delivery and are considered to be central to delivering a high quality and accessible project. The cross cutting themes are equal opportunities, sustainable development and health. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate their project’s impact with regard to the CCTs. The questions relating to equal opportunities, sustainable development and health are known as ‘gateway’ criteria because you will be expected to achieve a minimum score on these questions in order for your application to proceed into full assessment. The minimum score that you must achieve on each part of these questions is shown in the tender form. **If your project does not achieve the minimum score on each criterion, your application will be rejected and will not be considered for funding under this round.**

Scorers will note where the borough specification requires higher or lower targets than those listed here, where there is conflict the borough specification applies.

**Equalities and diversity**

Equality and diversity or equal opportunities (EO) best practice focuses on securing the equality of all groups in society and seeking to alleviate the disadvantages that are experienced by some of them. Commitment to equality and diversity should be demonstrated in all aspects from project planning and implementation through to monitoring and evaluation.

You should tell us how your project will raise awareness of and implement equal opportunities with participants and project staff. Tell us the practical ways that you will do this that are related to your project and its activities. You are also required to provide a copy of your EO policy at the application stage. This will allow assessors to take into account how EO considerations run through every aspect of the work you undertake, from representation and decision making through to delivery. You will be expected to demonstrate your track record and impact with regard to EO.

If your tender is successful, you will be expected to establish robust equality indicators at the outset of your project. These indicators will be built into your contract and London Councils will monitor you against your progress in meeting them. You will be expected to demonstrate in your regular monitoring returns to London Councils how you have implemented EO in your project to date.

There are a number of programme-level equalities targets that should be mirrored at project level. You should demonstrate how you will contribute to the following targets:

- **Women:** It is anticipated that women will represent 51% of all participants on the programme;

- **Older people:** It is anticipated that 18% of participants will be 50 or over. Where necessary, training should address issues where age is a barrier to employment. Appropriate individual support should be provided;

- **Ethnic minorities:** At least 60% of participants at the programme level are expected to be of ethnic minority origin. People from some ethnic minority groups are over-represented amongst those who are workless. This is in part a result of discrimination in recruitment that frequently occurs when there are seen to be language or cultural differences between the recruiter or current staff and the applicant. Equality of opportunity for the participants will be supported by appropriate employability training and advocacy to prospective employers;

- **Disabled people:** It is expected that 22% of participants will be disabled people or people with long-standing health conditions(^5). All providers will be expected to make provision for access and appropriate support for disabled people wherever feasible. Projects which target disabled people will be expected to work with employers to develop sustained employment for disabled people. Organisations in receipt of London Councils funding are required to indicate how they respond to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act;

- **Lone parents:** It is expected that 12% of all participants on the programme will be lone parents.

London Councils expects all projects to provide child and dependent care for participants as required in order to enable them to access the programme.

Further guidance on the Equalities and Diversity cross cutting theme is available via:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ef/resources/gender-equality-and-equal/

There are four ESF Equality and Diversity Good Practice Guides available via the link above. These focus on:

- Disability
- Gender
- Race
- Age

It is recommended that you read these booklets and incorporate their guidance when designing your project.

(^5) Long standing health conditions refer to conditions that are expected to last, or have lasted, for a year or longer, and that make it difficult for the person to do the things that most people do on a fairly regular and frequent basis. Sustainable development Sustainable development includes social, environmental and economic aspects. You will be expected to have considered and integrated each of these strands into your project. The London Councils programme will contribute to the UK strategy for sustainable development *Securing the Future*.

The nature of the London Councils ESF Borough Co-financing Programme and the activities it will fund will contribute to sustainable development by achieving progress that recognises the needs of everyone and assists participants towards social inclusion and independent living through employment. Your tender should demonstrate how you will ensure long-term outcomes for participants.

Your tender should demonstrate an understanding of the need for good environmental performance and management in keeping with the ethos and achievement of sustainable development in the UK. All projects will be required to consider impact in relation to: energy, water, waste, purchasing and transport. You should also demonstrate how you will integrate relevant aspects of sustainable development into courses you run and/or use the environment as a medium for training delivery.

You are required to provide a copy of your sustainable development policy at the application stage. If your organisation doesn’t have a sustainable development policy, please include a statement with your tender explaining that the organisation does not yet have a sustainable development policy. Any organisation selected for London Councils ESF funding that does not yet have a sustainable development policy will be required to implement such a policy by the end of the first year of delivery.

Further guidance on the sustainability cross-cutting theme is available via:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/resources/sustainable-development/

More information on this theme can be found at Annex 1

Health

The London ESF Regional Framework has health as a cross-cutting theme and co-financing organisations (CFOs) are responsible for incorporating and promoting this theme within their programmes. All ESF funded providers must also ensure that health is integrated within the scope and provision of their projects.

The aim of the health theme is to support ESF providers to maximise health outcomes for their participants in practical ways. Health and work are inextricably linked; skills and good jobs can reduce health inequalities and improve the health of all Londoners.

There is now clear evidence that:

- good health should improve an individual’s chances of finding and staying in work and of enjoying the consequent financial and social advantages; • work has an inherently beneficial impact on an individual’s state of health. Work is known to be good for mental health and to aid recovery even for those with the most severe of conditions; and

• unemployment is known to be detrimental for mental health. The longer people are out of work the harder they find it to return and the greater the impact on their health and well-being(^6).

A health performance management framework (PMF) and accompanying guidance has been developed to support London’s ESF providers to incorporate and report on progress with this theme.

The PMF is specifically designed to enable ESF providers to:

• identify how their projects are impacting on health and well-being at the planning and early delivery stage;

• identify actions that they could take to improve the potential positive impacts and make arrangements to reduce any unintended negative impacts;

• identify deliverables that can be monitored throughout the lifetime of the project to measure impacts on health and well-being; and

• provide a means of measuring the impact of their project on health and well-being.

Providers will be expected to complete the PMF within the first 3 months of starting delivery of their project and send it to their CFO contract manager to check for review. Contract managers will monitor providers against their self-assessment annually to identify progress and discuss further development.

The HCCT Guidance and PMF and appendices are available here: http://www.london.gov.uk/esf/cross-cutting-themes/health

Further information about tackling health inequalities in London is available from the Greater London Authority’s website:

http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/health

The checklist in Annex 2 will help you identify ways in which your organisation can integrate the health cross cutting theme in project delivery.

(^6) National Mental Health Development Unit (2010) Employment and mental health, Briefing two. London: Dept. of Health 6. Partnership working

London Councils wishes to support effective partnership working in project delivery, some of the tender specifications even have partnership working as a mandatory activity. In particular, we would encourage delivery organisations to work with partners where complementary expertise is required to deliver a full package of support. For example, where specialist training outside of the provider’s core competencies is required, we would prefer that this provision be outsourced to an experienced specialist provider, rather than providers attempting to establish a new training resource.

We expect that providers will have established, or be in the final stages of establishing, partnerships prior to submitting their application. All providers intending to work in formal partnership (i.e. where the lead partner will be paying other partners) must submit a draft partnership agreement with their tender which formalise roles and responsibilities within the partnership.

As a minimum, a partnership agreement should contain sections on:

- who the partners are
- roles and responsibilities of each partner
- the timescale for delivery
- equal opportunities (that the partner must ensure equality of opportunity in line with the lead partner’s equal opportunities policy and London Councils and ESF requirements)
- the other cross-cutting themes: sustainable development and health
- monitoring (including which information the partner is required to keep and how often they are expected to report to the lead partner)
- termination
- finance and payments (including how much money will be paid to the partner organisation by the lead organisation, what the money will cover)
- deadlines for reporting to the lead partner
- audit (that the partner organisation may be subject to an audit in connection with the project, and that the all records pertaining to the delivery of the project are still auditable until 31st December 2022)(^7)
- publicity

This type of agreement ensures that project delivery by project partners takes place as discussed and ensures that each partner is clear about what it needs to achieve as part of the project.

7. Participant eligibility

Participant eligibility to the London Councils ESF Borough Programme 2013-15 is subject to a number of conditions, unless explicitly stated in the tender specification the following ESF criteria will apply.

(^7) Please note that it is the lead partner’s responsibility to ensure it holds all records relating to any aspect of delivery of the project (including those of partners) until December 2022. This is in line with ESF rules on document retention Funded projects who apply under ESF priority 1.1 specifications may only enrol participants who:

- Live within the specified borough(s),

  - Or where participants are homeless their registered Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) office or temporary/ sheltered accommodation is within the specified borough.

  *Participants who engage onto the project under these conditions, but then ‘move out’ of the specified borough may continue to be supported through the programme. (Individuals who live outside the specified borough(s) should be referred to other appropriate support services.)*

- Have the right to work in the UK.

- Who are not on another ESF funded employment programme where the claimable financial output/result is the same,

  - This includes ESF employment programmes delivered under the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Greater London Authority (GLA), London Councils and Skills Funding Agency frameworks.

- Are not already mandated on to the Work Programme.

  - Or are about to be mandated onto the Work Programme or Jobcentre Plus (JCP) approved provision, and the JCP advisor has not approved enrolment onto this programme as an exclusive alternative to the Work Programme.

- Are workless, i.e. working less than 8hrs a week,

  - This applies to unemployed participants, those who are economically inactive including those not in receipt of benefits.
  - Participants in receipt of JSA or any participant who is working less than 8hrs a week is defined as being unemployed on this programme
  - Participants not in receipt of JSA and who are not working are defined as being economically inactive on this programme.

- Are not in full time education (i.e. studying less than 16 hours a week).

- Are aged 20+. (The programme has some discretion to work with 18-20 year olds, where they are not served by NEET provision), please see the specification for which you are applying for details.

The programme will aim to complement existing provision so in all cases participants cannot be accessing existing Department for Work and Pensions (e.g. the Work Programme and ESF families with multiple problems programme) or Skills Funding Agency (e.g. pre-NEETs and NEETs programmes) mainstream provision.

Funded projects will be expected to, and be monitored on their ability to demonstrate how they will work with JCP across the whole borough(s) to complement the Work Programme and other ESF provision and avoid the duplication and competition between services. Project specific requirements

Individual specifications will list any additional requirements for participant eligibility particular to that borough or specification at a later stage in this document. These requirements will be in addition to or supersede those described above. 8. Project activities and results

London Councils has consulted with the participating boroughs and other CFOs on the types of activities, outputs and results they expect from their ESF funded projects. In order to avoid duplication, participating boroughs will fund projects that work with specific target groups and in specific geographical areas.

All applicants must demonstrate that their project has a focus on progression, and for the majority of participants supported under Priority 1.1 this will be towards employment.

Priority 1.1 Improving the employability and skills of unemployed and economically inactive people.

- Projects tendered under this priority will primarily have an employment focus. Applicants should demonstrate not only that they understand the needs of the participants, but also that the training and support to be provided are relevant to employer needs.
- The aim of this funding round is to move individuals closer to and into the labour market, through a range of support. It is recognised that not all participants will be able to move directly into employment at the end of the project so there is also a focus on progression to further education and training. Where employment (including self-employment) is a realistic target for individual participants, this is the preferred outcome.

Providers should make clear on the application form the specification against which they are tendering and should provide responses to all the activities listed within the specification. Please note that only one project will be funded under each specification and partnership approaches to this provision are encouraged.

The total number of tender opportunities and specifications are listed in Section 9 at later stage in this document. The maximum project value is listed in each specification. Please see Section 20 (financial information) of this document for further details on how London Councils will pay providers.

Project Activities:

All providers should include the following activities in their offer to participants:

| Activities group | Activity | |---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Needs assessment | Initial needs assessment | | | Review of needs and objectives | | | Information advice and guidance | | | Better off in work calculations | | Soft skills development | Communication skills development | | | Confidence building | | | Enhanced problem solving skills | | | Ability to work in team | Work ethic development Improved positive attitude

Specific skills Job specific skills improvement

pre-employment support Job search / Job brokerage Interview techniques Practical advice on work routing and travel to work Advice on self-employment

Access to other services Advice on access to other services Signposting

Other support Childcare / Care for dependent Travel support Other support

In-work support In-work support (including support for work placement and voluntary work)

Providers should also check the project specification for any other activities required by the commissioning borough. The will include, but are not limited to the skills and full qualifications listed below:

| Activities group | Activity | |------------------|----------| | Basic skills | Literacy | | | Numeracy | | | Information and communication technologies (ICT) | | ESOL | entry 1 | | | entry 2 | | | entry 3 | | | level 1 | | | level 2 | | | below level 1 |

Highest level of qualification Outputs/ results for payment: All payments on the London Councils ESF Borough Programme 2013-15 will be made based on the delivery of pre-specified outputs and results. There are a number of standardised outputs and results for delivery across all specifications. These are explained below. However, it should be noted that some boroughs will also have specified outputs and results specific to their borough. For details of these and the unit costs associated with them, please consult each specification individually, (available in a separate document).

Standardised Outputs

Number of participants receiving support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) On the London Councils ESF Borough Programme 2013-15, payments are not made for enrolments. Instead, the first payment a project receives will be made against participants who receive measured hours of support most commonly this will be a 6 hour milestone. Providers therefore may enrol as many participants as they wish to or have capacity for, however they will only be paid up to the total amount allocated for each payable output. London Councils’ ESF programmes’ remit is to assist the furthest from the labour market and this means that for a positive intervention the majority of participants would need six or more hours of support.

Please note:

- The hours of support is a milestone which, when passed, allows the project to claim a payment. London Councils requires providers to respond appropriately to participants’ needs; those who need a longer intervention in order to secure success should be accommodated and supported effectively throughout.
- The support milestone will not include the time taken to register the participant and complete the enrolment form. Time spent doing the induction, needs assessments, action plans and giving information, advice and guidance may be counted. Class work or other group sessions may not be counted if the milestone has been specified as one-to-one sessions only.

Work placements Work placements are time-limited interventions, giving participants’ experience of real-life work situations in order to assist them in developing skills, understanding work environments and the expectations of employers. There should be a progression towards paid employment, but the participant should not receive financial compensation for their work (though they may gain financial support with out of pocket expenses e.g. travel, childcare etc.). They should include a structured on-placement training/work plan which takes into account both participant and employer needs and on-placement support to both employer and participant should be provided.

Work placements must be for a fixed period of time totalling not less than 30 hours, over a period of time not exceeding 12 weeks. This can include volunteering as long as it meets the criteria outlined above.

**Submission of a final evaluation report** A final, externally conducted evaluation report will be required for all projects funded by the London Councils ESF Borough Programme 2013-15. Standardised Results

Results can only be claimed once participants leave the project.

**Participant gaining employment within thirteen weeks of leaving the project**

A payment will be made for participants who gain employment within thirteen weeks of leaving the project.

To be claimed, employment must be for 8 or more hours each week, unless otherwise defined in the specifications. This may be working for an employer (where their National Insurance is paid directly from their wages) or in self-employment (where people generally pay their National Insurance themselves). Where self-employment is claimed evidence of HMRC registration, and evidence of National Insurance contributions / proof of trading must be provided.

‘Leaving your project’ in this instance marks the date that the participant left the ESF project, after this time no further ‘hours of support’ can be recorded against a paid outcome. However contact and support to participants is expected to be maintained for as long as the participant feels it is necessary and to ensure that the progression is maintained.

**Participant in employment sustained for 26 weeks**

A further payment will be made for those participants who sustain their employment for a defined length of time. Please note that not all boroughs have chosen to support all of the results.

All sustained employment results must be achieved by the dates stated within each tender specification.

Employment does not necessarily need to be with the same employer for the whole period, but all employment must have clear evidence. It is possible that a participant can have breaks in their employment, however for each of the sustained results a minimum number of weeks is required, but again these must be achieved by the dates stated within each tender specification.

- 26 week milestone: The participant must be in employment for at least 26 weeks of the 32 weeks since starting employment (6months).

**Participants progressing to further education or training**

A payment may be made for participants who undertake further education or training within 13 weeks of leaving your project. Please note that not all boroughs have chosen to support this result. ‘Leaving your project’ in this instance marks the date that the participant left the ESF project, after this time no further ‘hours of support’ can be recorded against a paid outcome. However contact and support to participants is expected to be maintained for as long as the participant feels it is necessary and to ensure that the progression is maintained.

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8 Employment outcomes can be claimed for participants that enter employment whilst receiving support from the project or within 13 weeks of their last intervention with the project. Leaving a project marks a stage in the participant’s progression and should not be a marker for the end of project support to the individual or employer. This result cannot be claimed within the organisation or partnership for activities that were listed as part of the project. Referrals internally or to a delivery partner may be claimed for activities outside the scope of the project (as defined within your tender) where added value can be clearly demonstrated.

Further education or training:

- can include formal academic or vocational education and less formal skills development training (including soft outcomes);
- can be claimed at any time within 13 weeks of leaving the project;
- can be in full-time work-based learning (including apprenticeships, Entry to Employment and NVQ learning (however it is more likely that a work-entry result will be claimed);
- must add value to the ESF project activities (i.e. is outside the scope of the ESF project) and must help the participant to progress towards their ultimate vocational goals as set out in their Individual Action Plan;

Please note that a referral to the Work Programme will not be considered as a claimable progression for a further education or training result. Also note that a further education or training result and an in employment result cannot be claimed for the same participant.

**Participants achieving a functional skills qualification**

This result reflects a participant improving their reading, writing, numeracy or information and communication technology skills, in a formalised way. Additional qualifications may be considered but these will be subject to London Councils and the Boroughs discretion.

All qualification results must be achieved by the dates stated within each tender specification and evidence needs to have been collected to prove the qualification was achieved.

**Participant tracking and on-going support**

Successful projects will be expected to maintain support and track participants on the programme.

Projects will need to explain within the tender document their methods and proposal for the support and tracking of participants and details of any in-work support or employer interventions they will deliver. Notes for all applicants

All projects should:

- demonstrate a clear understanding of the needs of the target groups listed in the specifications
- demonstrate how planned provision is appropriate to meet employer need (where applicable)
- demonstrate relationships with named employers that will lead to employment for participants
- show clearly how they will ensure they will deliver the target numbers of outputs and results
- demonstrate that participant progression is integral to the design of the project
- demonstrate how employer input has been included into the development and delivery of the project
- show a well thought-out approach to childcare / replacement social care issues including clear links to local providers and/or regional or national strategies
- demonstrate links with other relevant agencies or providers
- include better off in work calculations when designing projects
- show clear links to sources of employment (including flexible and self-employment) and providers of further education and training activity
- demonstrate a track record of providing successful employment advice, including self-employment
- show that they will offer appropriate follow-up support to allow participants to move into, and sustain, employment successfully

Providers should make clear on the application form the specification against which they are tendering and should aim to provide all the activities listed within the specification.

A glossary of all the key terms is also available from the DWP’s ESF website available here: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/resources/glossary/. Here it defines for example what a ‘participant’, ‘provider’ & ‘basic skills’ are, where you use these terms in your tender you should be consistent with these definitions. 9. Participant target group and project specifications

This section sets out information on the types of participants this programme will target. The London Councils ESF Co-financing Programme aims to support a number of specific target groups that fall within wider target groups listed in the London Regional ESF Framework.

The table below indicates the provisional allocation of funding for each project specification. The number of projects, participants and outcomes for each specification and the activities that are required are detailed in section 8.

Definitions for the standardised project payable outputs and results are listed previously in section 8, there may be additional payable results described in the specification.

Please note: Both the amount of funding and the number of projects are indicative and may change once the tenders received have been assessed and appraised.

Provisional allocation of funding, by specification

| Specification | Number of projects to be funded | Available amount (£) | |---------------|---------------------------------|----------------------| | Brent | 1 only | £190,000 | | Enfield | 1 only | £190,000 | | Hackney | 1 only | £237,500 | | Havering | 1 only | £237,500 | | Islington | 1 only | £95,000 | | Redbridge | 1 only | £190,000 | | Sutton | 1 only | £95,000 | | | | **£1,235,000** | 10. Brent – Specification 1

Strategy Tackling unemployment is a longstanding Brent Council priority. The Brent Borough Plan 2010-2014 sets the clear policy context for tackling unemployment across Brent. ‘Reducing Unemployment and Low Incomes’ is identified as a key priority, stating:

“Brent is one of the country’s most deprived areas, with many individuals and families financially vulnerable or living in poverty. We will:

- Focus on those who have been out of work for longest and provide them with the right skills and experience to gain employment and provide specialist support to those with a disability;

- Aim to reduce the numbers claiming out of work benefits to meet the London average while raising income levels, by 2014”

This policy statement is supported by the Council’s Regeneration Strategy for Brent 2010-2030, which identifies three priorities, one of which is:

“To increase income and employment levels of Brent residents, concentrating on those most in need.”

Brent has a long and successful history of direct intervention in the labour market – most recently through Brent in2 Work which was established in 2002 and by 2005 was placing 1,000 workless Brent residents into jobs per annum through a combination of bespoke job brokerage, direct delivery, partnership working, and an intensive focus on developing and delivering innovative solutions to the needs of Brent’s diverse communities. By 2010 external resources funding the project had reduced with only a skeleton service remaining.

Last year in light of the current economic climate, the Council commissioned work to establish a new model of employment, with focus on:

- An underlying principle of working towards employment outcomes, with a focus on working with those people who are furthest from the labour market

- An approach which integrates properly those services and initiatives which have access to workless residents – most obviously housing, Brent Adult and Community Education Service, health and social care, and working with DCLG funded troubled families initiative – to fully engage this client group. The approach will need to support positive outcomes across those services and initiatives.

- Interventions that focus on filling gaps in the market, supporting workless residents who currently do not have specialist access to help them enter the labour market.

As part of this review the research highlighted a lack of provision for supporting residents with mental health problems into employment. A key priority in the council’s current draft Health and Wellbeing strategy is to ‘improve mental wellbeing throughout life’ with an ambition that employment will play a role in helping people recover. The council currently has a target of 8% of mental health service users on the Care Programme Approach being in employment. This target is monitored by the council’s Adult Social Services team and reported internally as part of the council’s performance management process. The Council has identified and allocated resources for activity which offers employment support to people with mental health problems. Under the new Employment and Enterprise team that is currently being developed to sit within the Council’s Regeneration and Major Projects department, this new activity will help deliver the team’s robust set of objectives:

- To enable more excluded residents to access and benefit from services;
- To enable more excluded residents into sustained employment;
- To increase opportunities for progression in employment;
- To derive greater value from existing employment-related expenditure/services;
- To maximize the social value of council (and supply chain) employment opportunities.

**Mental Health in Brent**

Mental health remains the largest single cause of morbidity in Brent. It affects one in six of the adult population and one in ten children and young people. Brent is ranked 16th highest in the terms of mental health needs among the London boroughs. Modelled estimates suggest that six Brent wards (Kilburn, Harlesden, Stonebridge, Willesden Green, Kensal Green and Mapesbury) had significantly high needs compared to England. There are approximately 4,040 adults in Brent with mental illness receiving incapacity benefits, with Brent having a higher claimant rate per 1,000 of working age population than the London average (Brent 2013).

Mental health is associated with a wide range of poorer physical and mental health outcomes, including significantly increased risk of earlier death, social exclusion and economic hardship. Mental health issues are often stigmatised, which can delay seeking help and recovery. Data from the Network of Public Health Observatories shows that rates of access to adult specialist mental health services per 100,000 population are low in Brent, however for those who are in contact with specialist services the rate of in-patient admission is high (4th highest in the country).

Increasingly medical research is pointing to the psychological benefit employment brings in the treatment of mental illness and national surveys have concluded that the majority of people with mental health problems (70-90%) consistently say that they want to work. The following project description and proposed project activity sets out the Council’s intention to deliver employment support for people with mental health issues. Population Brent is an outer London borough situated to the north-west of the capital. It has a population of 311,215, consisting of approximately 110,286 households based on the 2011 Census. With a population density of 72 people per hectare, it is the most densely populated outer London borough.

Brent is the second most ethnically diverse borough in the country, with 64% of the population from a BAME background. The largest BAME groups being Asian or Asian British: Indian (18.6%), Black or Black British: African (7.8%), and Black or Black British: Caribbean (7.6%) (Brent 2013).

56% of the Brent population was born outside the UK, the highest proportion for a borough in the UK. In just the two years between 2007 and 2009, 9% of Brent's population arrived in the UK. This same proportion of new arrivals had previously taken a decade from 1991-2000. Over 100 languages are estimated to be spoken in Brent, with over 1 in 5 households declaring in the 2011 Census that no one in the household has English as a main language.

Based on school population data, the ethnic composition of the school population has unsurprisingly increased. Pupils from Somalia, Eastern Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly increased, mirrored by a decrease in the proportion of white British pupils.

Geographical targeting Participants can be recruited from anywhere in Brent, provided that they are Brent residents.

Labour market Despite areas of relative affluence, levels of deprivation in parts of the borough are stark. According to the 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), Brent is the 35th most deprived local authority in England, and on a worsening trend (81st most deprived in 2004, and 53rd in 2007). Persistent and entrenched deprivation is concentrated in a few neighbourhoods largely in the south of the Borough, with six of these (Harlesden, Church End, Stonebridge, Chalkhill, South Kilburn and St Raphaels) amongst the ten percent most deprived in the country. Indeed one ward, Stonebridge, is one of just two wards nationally that scores in the worst 5 percent of the country in all of the domain indicators for IMD.

Child poverty levels in the borough are similarly high. Nearly 34 percent (22,720) of children in Brent are deemed to live in poverty and at risk of this negatively impacting a child’s educational attainment, life chances, health, and safety. Brent is one of only 29 boroughs in the country that has one child in every five living in severe poverty. Lone parent households, teen parents and pregnant teenagers, and children living in workless households, have been identified as the main risk factors to child poverty in Brent (Brent 2013).

Of the working age population across Brent over 13,000 are now unemployed (9.3%), which is significantly higher than the London and national figures. 43,100 (25%) are economically inactive, and 31,360 (14%) are claiming out of work benefits. Within the borough’s most deprived neighbourhoods these figures are as high as 12.4%, the borough average is 4.5% (Brent 2013). A significant concern in Brent is the number of young people out of work, accounting for 5.5% of 18-24 year olds. Worryingly higher numbers of young people are remaining unemployed for more than 12 months.

This is further reinforced by a CBI employer survey(^9) conducted in 2010 the findings of which were as follows:

- Only 46% of employers currently rate the competency levels of staff as ‘good’
- 57% of employers are not satisfied with the time management skills of school leavers
- 46% are dissatisfied with the business and customer awareness of graduates
- 52% of employers are concerned about literacy of the current workforce while 49% are concerned about numeracy

**Sources of match funding** Match funding for this specification comes from Brent Council core funding.

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(^9) CBI/EDI Survey 2010 Project Specification 1: Employment support for residents with mental health issues – (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements This project will deliver an innovative and tailored employment and training programme to support Brent residents with mental health needs. The project aims to fill an identified gap in the Council’s employment provision by offering residents with mental health needs support to enter the labour market, and in doing so improve outcomes for the individual.

The provider will have excellent relations with the Community Mental Health Team in Brent and the Council’s Working with Families team to set up effective systems for the referral of individuals. The provider will deliver the service to this traditionally excluded group by providing a personalised approach, one which is sensitive and tailored to the individual. They are expected to have experience in employment brokerage, working with employers to secure employment and/or apprenticeship opportunities, for participants.

The project should:

- deliver an innovative individually tailored approach to employment support which responds to the specific needs of Brent residents with mental health needs
- deliver end to end support to residents consisting of initial assessment, action planning, job/training search and post-employment (aftercare) support once in employment
- identify and refer residents to training provision which have learning outcomes that support entry into employment
- deliver a job brokerage service by engaging with employers to identify employment and/or apprenticeship opportunities for residents
- work with job seeking residents with diagnosed mental health issues (as known to the Brent Community Mental Health team), as well as job seeking residents who may not be clinically diagnosed but present a mental health need to our Working with Families team

The provider must have:

- experience of delivering innovative employment support in Brent, or similar local authority areas, for people with mental health needs

- excellent understanding of the mental health provision in the borough, with a good understanding of mental health services provided by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, and the various mental health teams delivering within it. The provider must consider how they will establish links with the suitable teams, and how this project will contribute and complement their existing services

- in-depth knowledge of other mental health organisations across the borough and good working relations with them to share knowledge and make referrals as required

- good understanding of the council’s Working with Families initiative and its outcomes, and the council’s delivery plan for it. The provider is expected to outline how they will establish links with the Working with Families team to deliver employment support to families/individuals with mental health issues

- excellent links with employers

- be familiar with, and willing to assist in delivering, the Council's key strategic documents and performance indicators around employment (see above)

- access to premises to deliver the service, with the flexibility of being able to deliver from suitable co-locations

**Suggested strategic partners**

- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Brent Community Mental Health Team
- JobCentre Plus
- Specialist local agencies supporting people with mental health needs, e.g. Brent Mind, Brent Mencap
- Brent Council’s Early Help Family Support Team (DCLG Working with Families project): This team has been developed to deliver the Early Help Family Support Service which aligns a range of specialist services to ensure that families get the right help, at the right time. | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Brent | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 30/06/2015 | | | | | 31/07/2015 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 142 | £313 | £44,446 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants achieving a full vocational qualification | 88 | £400 | £35,200 | 30/06/2015 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £2,336 | £2,336 | 31/07/2015 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 68 | £879 | £59,772 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 34 | £1,419 | £48,246 | 30/06/2015 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £190,000 |

11. **Enfield – Specification 2**

**Introduction to the borough**

Enfield, although classified as an outer London borough, has levels of deprivation that are associated with the characteristics of many Inner London boroughs. Enfield has seen a bigger rise in the proportion of working age residents claiming out of work benefits of any London Borough since 2001. In the last ten years, all Edmonton wards (in the south eastern-most corner) have seen an increase in the proportion of working age adults claiming key out of work benefits, despite already having a relatively high claimant count a decade ago. As such there is clearly a growing issue with worklessness in the borough. Additionally older people out of work (50-64) are struggling to find new employment with individuals in this group most likely to be long-term claimants.

Economic inactivity in the borough is particularly high, with almost a third of all working age residents currently economically inactive. This includes some groups, such as early retirees and the long term sick who are not interested in finding work, but around 16,300 individuals in this category have declared in the Annual Population Survey that they would like a job. This suggests there is a need to re-engage this group, addressing individual barriers to work and bringing a substantial number of these residents towards economic activity. With incoming welfare reform likely to hit lone parents and large families hard, the large proportion of economically inactive women who cite looking after a family as the reason for their inactivity is a particular concern. A shift towards highlighting and encouraging flexible employment options and self employment should also be explored further in order to offset the impacts of the benefits cap and the introduction of universal credit.

Enfield remains committed to supporting its most vulnerable residents through its vision to make Enfield a better place to live and work, delivering fairness for all, growth and sustainability and strong communities. Schemes which have been most successful have focused on providing a bespoke service to each client, offering a range of services such as specialist benefits advice, condition management support for people with a mental or physical health problem, skills support, mentoring and appropriate referral. Thus the approach intended through this programme is focused on supporting people according to individual needs to improve their long term as well as immediate needs.

**Strategy**

Enfield Council set up a Worklessness Commission to explore the anatomy of unemployment in the borough and examine the range of programmes running locally to address worklessness and how successfully they are meeting the needs of local residents. There are already several schemes aimed at the 16-24 age group (both through DWP statutory and commissioned provision and other ESF provision), so it is recommended that this programme focus on older workless residents.

Enfield Council has been named as a Pathfinder Council, one of the 4 London boroughs to implement the Housing Benefit Cap Reform from 1 April 2013 and had already established system to work closely with the households affected, mostly lone parents who are by and large Income Support Claimants.

Below are links to a number of documents that set out the Council’s strategic approach to economic development and further information about Enfield’s key strategies

Enfield Child Poverty Assessment Population The following population characteristics are relevant to this specification.

- White UK ethnic group is 40.5%
- The next largest groups are Other White (18.2%) and Black African (9.0%)
- The non UK born population is 35.1% of the total with Turkey being the most prominent country of birth at 4.5%
- The number belonging to the Muslim faith doubled in 10 years, representing 16.7% of the population in 2011
- 28% of households in Enfield have one or more adults whose main language is not English, while 14.1% of households have no adults whose main language is English (Enfield 2013)

Households While total households increased by 9% from 2001 to 2011 the number of lone parent households with dependent children increased by 71% – a far higher rate of increase than any other London borough and the 2nd highest increase in the country. In 2011, Enfield had the 3rd highest proportion of such households in the whole of England. There was also a large increase in ‘Other households with dependent children’ and this type was 20th highest in England & Wales at 2011 (Enfield 2013).

There has been very substantial growth in the number of households in the private rented sector – up 103% in 10 years – higher than the national growth rate and far higher than across London. More than a fifth of all households in Enfield were in the private rented sector in 2011. These residents, particularly where they are economically inactive, are the most likely to feel the impact of Welfare Reform and may struggle to retain their home if they do not access employment, and soon.

The proportion of households in owner occupation fell from 70.7% at 2001 to 58.8% at 2011 Workless households with dependent children

23.1% of all households in Enfield with dependent children have no adult in employment. This is the 12th highest rate in England and 6th highest in London.

Lone parent households now make up 16.7% of all households (up from 11.3% at 2001) and 34% of all households with children. Enfield ranks 3rd highest in England & Wales for the proportion with dependent children and 5th highest for those with non-dependent children (Enfield 2013).

Geographical targeting The provision should be open to Enfield residents from all parts of the borough.

Labour market Enfield’s Local Economic Assessment (LEA) draws attention to the increase of higher skilled jobs due to mechanisation and digital technology. The need to develop a local skilled workforce is more urgent than ever to encourage local businesses to offer employment to residents who have the necessary skills. Recent research indicates that of the many businesses located within the eastern part of the borough where high rates of unemployment and economic inactivity are most prevalent, much of the recruitment is through employment agencies whose clients live outside the borough.

Enfield’s Local Economic Assessment describes how Enfield’s local economy has experienced substantial changes over the past 40 years. From being dominated by large businesses and the manufacturing sector, it has changed to become a broader service-based economy made up predominantly of small and micro businesses. A key factor affecting the employability of unemployed residents is the level of their skills. Although the number of residents with no or low skills has reduced, Enfield still has a skills gap. With only about 1,000 jobs (10%) advertised with JCP each year requiring low or no skills and a relatively low density of jobs in the borough, it is clear that employers increasingly require higher levels of competence. The LEA has identified recruitment gaps and job opportunities in the following areas:

- Food and drink manufacturing and wholesale (linked to Stratford, SE growth plans)
- Logistics/distribution
- Construction
- Retail (600 in 2011)
- Health and social care (linked to re-structure)

It has been recognised that Enfield needs to respond to employer needs who have limited number of low skill jobs. Most jobs require skills/ job related training, so the borough needs to strengthen the training offer to respond to employers needs through its partnerships, specifically the Employment and Enterprise Board.

Enfield’s working age population is 204,500 (65.2% of the population). Its employment rate is 64%, which compares unfavourably with London, (68.6%) and nationally (70.3%) (Datashare London March 2013) There are discrepancies between the available vacancies and what JCP customers are seeking in terms of employment: the top occupations sought across all age groups are: Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers; Administrative Occupations/ General Office Assistants. However, top vacancies available (from JCP’s Universal Jobmatch) are employment agencies, which are used for HGV/Driving Jobs and the second is Healthcare Services, which would include Care work.

**Sources of match funding** The match funding for this provision comes from Enfield Councils core funding. Project Specification 2: (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements The focus of this funding opportunity should be on picking up individuals affected by the benefit cap for whom little of mainstream provision is appropriate; other specific target groups including women who have been out of the labour market for some time due to child and other care responsibilities; people over 45 with low or no skills and people with substance misuse problems.

Enfield Council works very closely with its partner agencies seeking to reduce worklessness, i.e. JobCentre Plus, and the Work Programme Prime Contractors to ensure consistency across the patch on a range of issues. These include data sharing, vacancy sharing and other collaborative initiatives to ensure that the primary outcome, securing sustained employment for local residents is achieved.

The project will seek to provide employment related support to individuals who have been claiming out of work benefits for some time and may include people referred to the government’s Work Programme Prime contractors who were not able to secure employment after this intervention and have returned to JCP.

It may also include carers who may have been out of the labour market from some time and are likely to need re-skilling as well as support with confidence and other “soft” skills. Most carers fall into the 45-64 age bracket and therefore employers are at risk of losing valuable and experienced staff; supporting employers to understand the needs of accommodating staff with care responsibilities is essential if these people are to make an effective contribution in the labour market, and may bring skills and experience gained through their care duties.

Recent research conducted by Enfield indicated that 43% of working carers feel their work had been negatively affected by caring and that they felt tired, stressed and anxious.

Provision The project will be expected to effectively target and engage with people furthest from the labour market offering personalised and tailored support to help them into employment and progress in work. A specific focus will be placed on the following target groups that have been identified as having the highest levels of labour market deprivation:

| Parents (including lone parents) | 25% of participants | |---------------------------------|---------------------| | Women | 51% of participants | | People with a health condition or disability | 22% of participants | | Ethnic minorities | 60% of participants |

In addition to these target groups, 25% of participants must be unemployed (i.e. claiming JSA) and 75% of participants must be economically inactive (i.e. ESA/IB, IS or non-benefit claimants). The programme will aim to complement existing provision so in all cases participants cannot be accessing existing Department for Work and Pensions (e.g. the Work Programme and ESF families with multiple problems programme) or Skills Funding Agency (e.g. pre-NEETs and NEETs programmes) mainstream provision.

Effective engagement of participants will be seen as a key element of this ESF project. As a result, delivery partners will be expected to offer support from a range of public and community venues across the borough including (but not limited to):

Customer service centres; Libraries; Community centres; Jobcentres; Schools and Children’s centres; health centres; Housing offices

Given the additional barriers this target group are likely to face, provision should be included to pay childcare/other care costs and travel to/from appointments.

In addition, delivery partners will need to set out how they plan to effectively engage with employers to source appropriate employment opportunities for participants.

The project will be expected to work closely with the existing employment initiatives in the borough and establish appropriate partnership protocols that will include engagement with participants and employers.

Bidders will also have to demonstrate experience and a proven track record of working in areas with high labour market deprivation such as Enfield.

This project will require a consortium of at least three delivery partners where no one partner accesses more than 50% of the total project value.

Enfield expects that this project will lead to the engagement of 126 very excluded residents and that 63 of these will be supported into some form of employment including self-employment on leaving the project. We expect to see proposals with proven and innovative approaches to delivering the project successfully with flexibility to meet the needs of the target group. However, bidders should consider including the following activities as part of their delivery models:

Basic skills; ESOL; Accredited vocational training; Non-accredited training; confidence building/mentoring; CV building and interview techniques; Work placements; Self employment support; Debt/financial management support (including Better Off Calculations)

**Suggested strategic partners**

Enfield Council particularly the Employment and Enterprise Board Jobcentre Plus (North and East London Districts) Work Programme Prime Contractors College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London Barnet and Southgate College NHS Enfield Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Enfield | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 30/06/2015 | | | | | 31/07/2015 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 133 | £313 | £41,629 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants achieving a full qualification at NVQ level 2 | 39 | £700 | £27,300 | 30/06/2015 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £1,161 | £1,161 | 31/07/2015 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 67 | £879 | £58,893 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 43 | £1,419 | £61,017 | 30/06/2015 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £190,000 | 12. **Hackney – Specification 3**

**Introduction to the borough**

Hackney is situated in the heart of London, and on the fringe of one of the world’s most important financial districts, the City of London.

The regeneration brought about by the 2012 Games, linking the tube to Hackney and the emergence of significant enterprise growth sectors focused on creative technology, retail and hospitality is transforming the local economy, bringing new jobs, housing and public facilities.

Against the backdrop of this economic growth Hackney’s employment rate has been steadily increasing since 2005 and is now nearing the London average (68.6%) at 65%. However, the unemployment rate has averaged around 11% since 2004, three percent higher than the London average.(^{10})

Significantly Hackney’s population on key out of work benefits averages 22% over the past decade, consistently 8% higher than the London average.(^{11})

Given the above, we are determined to harness the benefits of this economic regeneration to improve the life chances of local people, and ensure that all our residents can share in the borough’s steadily growing prosperity.

**Strategy**

Hackney’s Sustainable Community Strategy 2008-2018 promotes the key priority to –

- Reduce poverty by supporting residents into sustainable employment, and promoting employment opportunities

The review of the strategy conducted in 2012 makes the further recommendation to –

‘…identify and maximise employment opportunities arising from key growth areas in Hackney and neighbouring boroughs in East London and across the city for Hackney residents who are ready to work.’

This specification aims to maximise the benefits for Hackney residents of key growth sectors within the borough.

______________________________________________________________________

(^{10}) LBH, Local Economic Assessment 2011

(^{11}) LBH, Local Economic Assessment 2011 Population Hackney is a densely populated inner London borough with a large proportion of social housing.

- The 2011 Census estimates Hackney’s population to be 246,300.
- 28,040 residents were on key out of work benefits in February 2012. The borough estimates that this represents approximately 22% of the working age population.(^\\text{12})
- 45% of the total population on benefit, a steady 13,200, have been on Incapacity Benefit every year since 2005, nearly 3% higher than the London rate.(^\\text{13})

Geographical targeting Hackney is a place where pockets of deprivation and affluence exist in close proximity across all areas of the borough; hence, there is no specific geographic focus of the activity within the borough of Hackney. However, participants must be Hackney residents. Hackney is a borough where pockets of deprivation and affluence exist in close proximity across all areas of the borough.

Labour market The focus of activity is on the following three growth sectors within the borough –

1. High-end retail: To help Hackney residents take advantage of employment opportunities with the new high end retailers opening up in Hackney Central and other areas of the borough. This stream will recruit people interested in retail and provide them with IAG, assessment and CV support. The programme will assess their ability to go into high-end retail, provide training in employability and retailing to unlock that potential, and then secure them interviews with local retailers.

2. Creative tech. The creative tech sector is one of Hackney’s fastest growing areas, but is also one where longer established residents have struggled to enter. This stream will recruit people (primarily 18-24 year olds not supported through NEET provision) who are interested in getting into the creative tech sector, or who have shown some related aptitude (in music, art, writing, design, etc). It will work with the Government supported Tech City scheme to enable young people in Hackney to get into Tech City apprenticeships.

3. Hotel and hospitality. There are at least five new mid to high end hotels opening in Hackney in the next few years, substantially increasing the number of hospitality vacancies on offer. Hackney Council has Section 106 agreements in place with those hotels, calling for 30% local labour; however, the level of customer service required is much higher than with the traditional hospitality industry in Hackney (or even East London). By enabling Hackney residents to access employment this programme will ensure that 30% target was met. The provision will source and pre-screen candidates, providing IAG and CV support, customer service training, and then secure interviews with the hotels with which the Council has 106 agreements.

(^{12}) London Datastore 2013 and LBH, Local Economic Assessment 2011 (^{13}) LBH, Local Economic Assessment 2011 Hackney’s employment rate has increased significantly over the past 5 years. However, the number of longer term unemployed residents, particularly from harder to reach groups, remains high. Supporting younger people including NEETs, care leavers and lone parents into jobs and apprenticeships is a particular priority locally. The Council and other agencies invest significant resources in supporting these clients in the early stages of their journey into training and employment. This ESF programme will play a key role in enabling continuation and completion of this journey into sustained employment - thus realising the benefits of existing interventions. To be successful strong partnership working with existing teams and agencies working with these vulnerable groups will be essential.

**Sources of match funding** Match funding will be provided through section 106 funding agreements ring-fenced for employment initiatives. Project Specification 3: (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements The project aims to ensure that Hackney residents are well placed to take advantage of the employment opportunities afforded by the growth of three key employment sectors in the borough. This is in line with the review of the Sustainable Community Strategy conducted in 2012 which makes the recommendation to, ‘…identify and maximise employment opportunities arising from key growth areas in Hackney and neighbouring boroughs in East London and across the city for Hackney residents who are ready to work.’

The work will involve a focus on both the client and employer side that ensures the needs of employers are well understood and that clients are given the appropriate level and type of support to meet these needs and secure employment.

The programme will aim to complement existing provision so in all cases participants cannot be accessing existing Department for Work and Pensions (e.g. the Work Programme and ESF families with multiple problems programme) or Skills Funding Agency (e.g. pre-NEETs and NEETs programmes) mainstream provision.

The provision will be required to –

- Develop and maintain working relationships with a number of key agencies who will provide a source of client referrals
- Develop and maintain working relationships with employers in the key growth sectors
- Work with clients to assess suitability, level and type of support required, and identify and engage the appropriate support provider or onward referral path.
- Ensure that clients are well matched to vacancies and fully prepared to take advantage of employment opportunities
- Develop and maintain working relationships with a range of training providers that support client preparations for employment in the key growth sectors

The provider will be expected to facilitate or deliver the following specific activities as part of the programme

- Engagement with community outreach networks as a source of client referrals

- Engagement with a range of Council teams to ensure strong handover of vulnerable clients

- Job focused Information Advice and Guidance (IAG)

- Identification of support and training needs

- Mentoring and training in sector-specific employment areas

- Employment-focused business engagement Suggested strategic partners The successful provider will be expected to work closely with the following organisations –

- Ways into Work team, Hackney Council (in all areas of the scheme)

- Job Centre Plus

- Neighbouring local authorities e.g. City of London

Employer Engagement –

- LBH Regeneration Delivery team and specifically town centre managers (who are engaging key employers)
- LBH planning team regarding key developments that have local labour clauses specified in section 106 agreements
- Local business groups (e.g. TechHub etc.)
- London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)
- iCity
- Any relevant government networks

Sourcing clients and referrals -

- London Borough of Hackney support services including Youth Services, Housing Benefits and Housing Needs
- Voluntary & Community Sector organisations and networks working with harder to reach groups and young people
- Registered Social Landlords

Accessing sector based training –

- Hackney Community College
- Hackney University Technical College (UTC)
- East London Advanced Technology Training (ELAAT)
- REDS10
- Any other relevant Hackney based training organisations including
- Relevant further and higher education institutions | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Hackney | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 30/06/2015 | | | | | 31/07/2015 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 136 | £313 | £42,568 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants achieving a full vocational qualification | 21 | £400 | £8,400 | 30/06/2015 | | Number of participants achieving a full qualification at NVQ level 2 | 71 | £700 | £49,700 | 30/06/2015 | | Participants undertaking a work placement | 26 | £300 | £7,800 | 31/12/2014 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £1,824 | £1,824 | 31/07/2015 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 68 | £879 | £59,772 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 44 | £1,419 | £62,436 | 30/06/2015 | | Number of participants in further education and training | 10 | £500 | £5,000 | 30/06/2015 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £237,500 |

13. **Havering – Specification 4**

**Introduction to the borough**

The London Borough of Havering is one of largest boroughs in Greater London with a population of around 234,000 and an area of approaching 43 square miles, half of which is green belt. It is situated in the North East of London, bordering Essex to the East and the North, the River Thames to the South and the London Boroughs of Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham to the West. As one of London’s safest and greenest boroughs, Havering already provides a fine quality of life for its residents.

**Strategy**

In 2008 the Council launched ‘Living Ambition’ - a long-term strategy to further improve the quality of life enjoyed by Havering’s residents.

The vision of Havering’s Living Ambition is:

‘**Havering’s residents enjoy the highest quality life in a borough that thrives on its links to the heart of the capital, without ever losing the natural environment, historical identity and local way of life that makes Havering unique**’

Underpinning Havering’s vision are five goals: Environment, Learning, Towns & Communities, Individuals and Value. To achieve these goals the council has identified a series of key activities that will be undertaken, along with performance measures that will assess how well the council is performing.

This project will help achieve the key activities in two of these goals as outlined in Havering’s Corporate Plan 2011 - 14:

**Learning:** to champion education and learning. Ensure that Havering’s young people get the best possible choice of career and study opportunities by maximising learning opportunities for residents.

**Towns and Communities:** To provide economic, social and cultural opportunities in thriving towns and villages. Strive to ensure that there are affordable homes for local people by ensuring fair and best use of council housing for those greatest in need.

The Living Ambition sets out Havering’s aspirations to dramatically increase the number of young people accessing work. To facilitate this, we will also need to increase basic and lower level skills training, target support for those young people on benefits and remove barriers to employment.

This project specification aims to explicitly link commitment and achievement by those supported through this provision to enhanced housing support by the borough. Population Analysis of local demographics reveals the following:

- 234,000 people live in Havering(^{14})
- Compared to the 2001 Census Havering had largest increase in unemployed age
  - 16 - 24 (103% compared to London 44%) and Never Worked (274% compared to London 123%).(^{15})
- 10.8% of people live in social housing compared to other Outer London boroughs of 9.7%

Education and skills in Havering

- The latest Department for Education participation data (^{16}) shows that the participation of 16 and 17 year olds in education and training in Havering is above the national averages, and at the London averages. However, the same data shows that the participation of 16 year olds is significantly higher than for 17 year olds.
- The latest Not in Education, Employment and Training (NEET) data (^{17}) shows that over half of the NEET 16-18 year olds in Havering are aged 18.
- The level of residents in 2011 with no qualifications was 11.3% compared with 9.3% in London and 10.6% nationally.(^{18})
- Only 19% of residents had higher level qualifications compared with 45.9% in London and 32.9% nationally(^{19})

Geographical targeting The highest concentration of council owned housing stock is situated in the north of the borough at Harold Hill and is the most socio-economically deprived part of Havering (Gooshays includes three areas within the 20% most deprived in the country). We would expect the successful provider to draw the a significant proportion of the participants from these wards.

Harold Hill(^{20})

Gooshays and Heaton wards are the most deprived in Harold Hill

- Economically active % of population – 70.6% Gooshays, 71.4% Heaton, GB average 74%
- No qualification – 48.9% Gooshays, 52.7% Heaton, GB average 35.8%
- Higher level qualification – 6.7% Gooshays, 6.2% Heaton, GB average 20.4%
- JSA Claimants – 6.0% Gooshays, 6.5% Heaton, GB average 3.7%.
- The proportion of JSA claimants aged 18-24 were 26.4% Gooshays, 29% Heaton, GB average 26.6%

(^{14}) ONS Mid Year Estimates 2011 (^{15}) nomis (^{16}) http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/participation/a00214942/local-authority-education-training (^{17}) http://www.15billion.org/ims/monthlyreports/ (^{18}) nomis (^{19}) Ibid (^{20}) Ibid • Lone parents – 3.3% Gooshays, 3.2% Heaton, GB average – 1.5%

Labour market • 75.2% of Havering’s working age residents were classified as economically active in 2011/12, compared with 75.5% across London and 76.7% nationally. • Residents claiming JSA in December 2012 was 3.5% compared with 4.1% in London and 3.7% nationally. Of that o 7.2% of 16 – 24 in Havering were JSA claimants compared with 6.3% in London and 6.7% nationally • Lone parents making benefit claims in February 2012 was 1.7% compared with 1.8% in London and 1.5% nationally (Havering 2013)

Housing needs in Havering and the interaction with gaining / sustaining employment Havering is experiencing considerable housing pressures, with barriers to gaining housing particularly high among the target groups for this project. Of note:

• private sector rents, even at the entry level, for one and two bedroom accommodation represent a high proportion of starter incomes – for example, an entry level one bedroom private rent of £650 per calendar month represents around 52% of net income for someone earning £15,000 a year • accessing the private rented sector typically incurs high initial start-up costs – the average amount spent to secure a private tenancy in the borough is £2,000 once deposits and rent in advance have been taken into consideration • the demand for council and housing vacancies greatly outstrips supply - for example, each year around 250 one bed social rented homes become available, while there are some 5000 people on the current Housing Register needing this size of accommodation • from April 2013, the Council will refocus its efforts on housing those in most housing need. As a result, it is estimated that some 3,000 people aged under 34 will lose their eligibility for social housing in the borough because they are in fact adequately housed with parents / others. Private renting will remain an option, but housing benefit for single people under 35 years is now limited at the shared accommodation rate.

Lack of stable, suitable accommodation has been shown in various studies to negatively impact on employment outcomes. Therefore, a key and critical element of this project is incentivising participation by explicitly linking this to the Council’s ability to assist participants with their housing needs.

Sources of match funding This scheme will be matched with £125,000 from the London Borough of Havering from the Housing Revenue Account and Homeless Prevention Grant incomes. Project Specification 4: (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements This project will take a holistic approach to supporting the short-term unemployed with bespoke training and support programmes designed to enhance their employment prospects and help them attain long-term employment. The project will consciously aim to complement existing schemes, but will have a far greater emphasis on personalised support and ‘hand-holding’. Our focus will be on raising the skills levels of the clients to ensure that their English, maths and ICT skills reach an attainment level that will help define their long-term life choices. The project aims to assist targeted participants into sustained employment, with a clear message that ‘work pays’ given by the provider and reinforced by the Council through housing support for all those taking part in the scheme, and enhanced housing options for those who secure and sustain employment.

Housing incentives The housing element will have a particularly strong incentivising effect, especially given the high housing demand in Havering from young persons discussed above. The London Borough of Havering is acutely aware of the importance of having a stable home life in order to find and sustain employment. This scheme looks to give participants the best chance possible to successfully secure work by offering a housing incentive.

It is envisaged that all participants will be offered preferential housing assistance through one of the programmes already on offer from the council to ensure that they are adequately housed whilst on the scheme. The assistance available includes:

- personalised housing advice while remaining living with parents
- a room in a Council managed House of Multiple Occupants
- an assured short-hold tenancy with floating tenancy sustainment support through the East London Single Persons Homelessness Project.
- self-contained accommodation offered through the Council’s Private Sector Lease scheme.

Once a participant has secured employment they will be able to have access to affordable housing that is suitable to their needs. After six months of sustained employment they will be given additional priority access to affordable housing should they need this extra help gaining settled accommodation.

A route into council or housing association is designed to be a strong incentive to participate in the scheme, gain employment and sustain it as council and housing association accommodation (a) typically offers longer tenancy terms than private rented housing, and (b) has lower rents than private rented alternatives enabling those taking up jobs with entry level wages to begin to move off of housing benefit with the consequent advantages this brings, such as escaping the ‘poverty trap’ more easily.

Housing incentives can be tailored to specific requirements and could include:

- access to the council and housing association accommodation once employment has been secured for those who would not usually qualify because they are adequately housed with parents/others • additional priority council and housing association accommodation after six months in employment if they haven’t secured a property prior to that.

It is anticipated that any offer of assistance into affordable accommodation will be welcomed by the participants and will promote the ‘work pays’ ethos of the programme.

**The project should:**

Deliver a holistic and comprehensive package supporting participants into work that will include:

• Regular and sustained 1-2-1 support, with a consistent advisor (where possible). • Link with other local provision, including ESF and Youth Contract provision in particular, to run employability training, and • Complement existing projects within the borough, with the organisation proactively working to set up partnerships with the suggested strategic partners.

The delivery organisation must show a clear understanding of the barriers faced by some clients and carry out detailed assessments of client need as soon as they are referred to the project. Our target group is 0-9 months unemployed and whilst some may be able to return to a working routine quickly, others may find this more difficult. It is imperative that the clients are supported back into work before entrenched worklessness takes hold and confidence levels dictate a low aspirational outlook. A key part of this project will be the opportunity for clients to access skills based training determined by individual need.

Subsequently, information, advice and guidance will be offered in a number of areas, to include:

• Initial work readiness assessment, including identifying any skills gaps • Signposting to existing training providers, notably those delivering Skills for Life • CV optimisation • Intensive job search • Job applications • Interview preparation • Brokerage of short term work placements • Support in accessing existing provision via the Jobcentre Plus Flexible Support Scheme (i.e. transport, clothing allowance), for work placements and/or prior to job interviews (where required) • Link to housing and welfare rights support • Budgeting and basic financial inclusion support (such as setting up and using a bank account) • Provide on-going in-work support to both participants and employers to facilitate a smooth transition into work and ensure that employment outcomes are sustained

A recent report into the business sectors in Havering(^{21}) have revealed the following as established/growth sectors within the local economy:

• Health & social care • Service sectors, including retail, leisure and hospitality

(^{21}) Havering Business Growth Report (September 2012) • Professional, business and financial services • Digital economy • Engineering, construction and manufacturing, including low carbon

The delivery organisation would be expected to support clients, including the accessing of training opportunities, to support these sectors.

Providers should demonstrate:

• Their proven and local track record of supporting people to access and progress into work/employability training in similar contexts to Havering • A convincing approach to establishing themselves in the borough from project start • How they will deliver the project from a base within the borough; • How they will work with employers to enable participants to access placement and job opportunities, and; • How they will link with welfare benefits advice services to ensure people take up the correct in and out of work benefits advice

**Project set up**

Referrals will be made primarily from those approaching the Council declaring some form of housing need, where they will be offered an initial housing solution.

- A board (made up of representatives from Havering’s Homes and Housing department and the organisation delivering the project) will then filter these referrals based on the eligibility priorities below.

- The proposed referral system is demonstrated in the flow diagram (below) showing the customer pathways and roles of the Council and Provider. The chosen provider will be expected to meet certain performance management criteria including:

  - attending a regular referral panel with representatives from housing in order to assess the eligibility and suitability of proposed candidates
  - providing monthly updates on the progress of referrals to the Council’s housing team to assist them in identifying the candidates in need of housing assistance. Referrals from Homes and Housing via LBH Housing Options

Referrals from strategic partners

Monthly panel (LBH Housing and provider)

Applicant eligible

Yes

Temporary housing solution required

Yes

PSL, HMO, ELHP single homeless project, private rent depending on suitability

No

Referral to other employment scheme or volunteering opportunity

No

Applicant gains employment

Yes

On programme – receives personalised training, work placement, IAG etc.

No

Provider supplies monthly updates on progress of referrals to identify participants who need housing incentive

Housing solution offered (including access to affordable housing where appropriate)

Applicant sustains employment

Yes

Priority access to affordable housing

Key to abbreviations LBH – London Borough of Havering PSL – Private Sector Lease HMO – House in Multiple Occupation ELHP – East London Housing Partnership IAG – Information, Advice & Guidance Proposed eligibility for programme

Required:

- Aged 18-34 (or aged 16-17 where the young people are not eligible for existing programmes, including ESF and Youth Contract provision)
- Workless individuals not on the Work Programme or other ESF funded provision
- Not in Education Employment or Training (including other work programmes)
- No or low skills level
- Presenting some housing need(s) for example households who are over-crowded, who are living with family but have been asked to leave or people facing barriers to the private rented sector.
- Lone parents
- Looked after Child, or Care Leaver

Suggested Strategic partners

- Housing Associations
- Homelessness & PSL related staff
- Jobcentre Plus
- Prospects (delivering local targeted IAG service for young people)
- Specialist local agencies supporting acute needs such as homelessness, debt, drug/alcohol misuse, mental health, etc.
- Local schools, colleges, Apprenticeship and employability providers, including;
  - Havering Adult College
  - Havering College of Further and Higher Education
  - Havering Skills Academy
  - Teaching & Learning Group
  - HAVCO
  - Lifeline
  - YMCA
  - TBG
  - Chelmer Training
- Local Work Programme and ESF Programme providers
- Children Centres
- Youth Service
- Youth Offending Team
- Healthcare organisations
- Met Police & British Transport Police
- Drug Action Team

The delivery organisation will be expected to develop relationships with the relevant strategic partners and will be supported to do this by members of the project’s steering group. The organisation will also be expected, where relevant, to attend meetings with strategic partners and play an intrinsic role in the steering group of this project. Welfare reforms

The message of the project, that ‘work pays’, echoes that which underpins the motivations behind the upcoming multiple welfare reforms. These have a number of drivers and implications for the project:

- The single room rate will be paid for those aged 16-34, rather than currently only up to aged 24, so housing based incentives will be a strong motivation for this targeted age group.
- The benefit cap limits the amount of benefits a household can claim per week (£350 for single claimants, £500 for couples, with or without children, or single parents) In Havering, this could affect approximately 400 households
- The benefit cap will cease to apply when one member of the household is in work, so supporting people to do so is aligned with the national initiative
- There is also a link to Universal Credit, where all benefits payments are amalgamated into a single transaction, and the budgeting skills required will be facilitated through the IAG support offered by the delivery organisation. This will assist the subsequent seamless transition into work and a single, monthly salary payment.

There are a number of agencies that support residents with benefits advice and guidance including,

- Council tenants – welfare.reforms@havering.gov.uk or 01708 432537
- Private tenants, including Private Sector Leased, PSL, tenants - privatehousingsolutions@havering.gov.uk or 01708 431010
- Housing association tenants – contact your housing association directly
- The Public Advice and Service Centre (PASC) in The Liberty Shopping centre, Romford.
- Citizens Advice Bureau, 01708 763531 | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Havering | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 30/06/2015 | | | | | 31/07/2015 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 137 | £313 | £42,881 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants achieving a vocational qualification | 30 | £400 | £12,000 | 30/06/2015 | | Number of participants achieving a full qualification at NVQ level 2 | 30 | £700 | £21,000 | 30/06/2015 | | Participants undertaking a work placement | 50 | £300 | £15,000 | 31/12/2014 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £2,113 | £2,113 | 31/07/2015 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 69 | £879 | £60,651 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 45 | £1,419 | £63,855 | 30/06/2015 | | Number of participants in further education and training | 40 | £500 | £20,000 | 30/06/2015 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £237,500 |

14. Islington – Specification 5

Strategy Despite its wealthy image, Islington is the fourteenth most deprived local authority area in England, with extremes of rich and poor. The Islington Fairness Commission (IFC) was set up in June 2010 to look into how to make the borough a fairer place. A year later it published its final report ‘Closing the Gap’ which sets the framework for the Councils Corporate Plan and strategy on employment.

The 2012/13 Corporate Plan includes Breaking the Cycle of Poverty as one of the Council’s six priorities towards a ‘fairer Islington’. Key to breaking this cycle is to tackle the high levels of inter-generational worklessness and dependence on benefits. The Council has set challenging targets around reducing the overall rate of unemployment which has been signed up to by key partners including Job Centre Plus. Within this the council is committed to helping develop opportunities for residents to become self-employed.

This project is part of LBI’s response to changes in the benefit system; specifically the cap on total out of work benefits to £500 per week for families irrespective of the number of children and disregarding the higher cost of housing in London, that will not apply if they are receiving working family tax credits. Employment is the route out of poverty for these families. However, many of them, with children under 5 years old will not be on JSA. Therefore contact with job centres will be more limited, yet the effect of the benefit cap means that staying on out of work benefits will be unaffordable.

Population

- There are just over 24,000 unemployed people in Islington which at 16.4% of the working age population is significantly above the London and national average. 13,610 children under 15 are living in poverty, the majority in lone parent households.
- There are 7,500 parents in Islington claiming out of work benefits of which an estimated 950 will find their rent unaffordable due to the Housing Benefit cap. This represents 61% of households with 4 or more children and 10% of households with up to 3 children.
- Child poverty in Islington is the second highest in the country (Islington 2013)

Geographical targeting The service will be available to all Islington parents affected by the benefits cap. Activities should be provided close to where most parents’ worst affected live and/or congregate. Co-location and sharing of resources with adult learning centres and children’s centres in the borough is being explored. In addition, through Islington’s Parental Employment Partnership and our close working relationships with Job Centre Plus offices, we will be able to take direct referrals from Job Centre Plus offices and from our own learning centres which are based in the North, South and Centre of the borough. Our learning centres work with in excess of 1,200 parents per year and have a direct route into parents affected by the welfare benefit changes. Labour market

- An estimated 950 households will be significantly affected by welfare reforms and will be unable to pay their rent due to the housing benefit cap.

- Barriers to employment for workless families include lack of flexible job opportunities, high costs and inflexibility of childcare, impacts of long-term worklessness.

- The majority of self-employed are likely to be doing so in professions such as cleaning, small scale catering, child minding, children’s parties, window cleaning, driving, administrative home working, personal care etc.

- LBI Labour market analysis based on advertised vacancies between June 2011 to May 2012 showed:

  - 83% were for full time positions, effectively excluding those without childcare
  - Significant % were for positions that are often provided on a self-employed basis:
    - 16% were for manual/trades work
    - 12% for messengers, couriers, security and cleaners
    - Over half of vacancies for child-minders advertised in central London were in Islington
    - There were 128 advertisements for beauticians and hairdressers
    - There were 66 advertisements for taxi or mini cab drivers

Sources of match funding

- £25,000 from S106 fund,
- £25,000 from core revenue, Project Specification 5: (Priority 1.1) Self-employment

Project description and overview of requirements The Project will provide a comprehensive support service for parents most affected by the benefit cap to start and sustain self-employment. The service will respond to the needs of the economically inactive or unemployed parents with 3 or more children for whom frequent use of childcare is unaffordable. Typically these will be long term unemployed parents with a lack of work experience, low level skills, childcare responsibilities, lone parents and who may be experiencing barriers such as anxiety and depression, often associated with living in poverty.

The Project will be working with parents who may be vulnerable, have high level needs and who will not be confident or familiar with the idea of setting up a business. It is therefore important that the project provides a service tailored to the needs of this client group and a holistic approach to clients offering an intensive wrap around service.

The Project will need to ensure that the basic of business planning, cashflow and tax returns are understood, but does not need to aim to develop high profile marketing expertise or well developed entrepreneurial skills. The service will need to provide advice, encouragement, guidance and morale support to get started and more importantly sustain the clients in working for themselves.

The Project will be expected to link with the Council’s strategy and with other activities being delivered locally, such as JCP courses run through A4E (which are generally for those affected by the benefit cap, but not specifically about self-employment), business start-up support such as the New Enterprise Allowance, and enterprise clubs. These services are valuable but are not impacting on our target group because the activities are not specifically tailored to smaller scale working for themselves and the sustainability support is limited. This Project’s clients should not be on the Work Programme which is for those who are unemployed for more than a year, while this target client group are more likely to be economically inactive with one or more children under the age of 5 years.

This Project should dovetail with these statutory services and strengthen the support available to clients. This client group will require more intensive and sensitive support, and the project will need to integrate fully with statutory and voluntary services.

Provision The project will work with parents referred to it by Islington Working for Parents who will have conducted an initial assessment and identified an interest in self-employment. It is possible that some of the parents may also have attended a more general self-employment course. Further referrals will come through JCP and other agencies in Islington. Some additional outreach maybe required from the project provider and this should take place at appropriate locations to the client group, such as Islington’s Children’s Centres and Islington’s Learning Centres for adults as well as local schools and community groups, outside schools or at children’s playgrounds or through relevant community based organisations. The council is keen to offer colocation space to the project in suitable community based venues.

The Project should:

- Be tailored to meet the needs of Islington residents, showing a good understanding of Islington. • Deliver the service in Islington and target location of activities to meet the needs of the client group, locations will be agreed in consultation with Islington Council.

• Receive referrals from Islington Working for Parents and other agencies in the borough and possibly undertake outreach at appropriate locations.

• Support consideration by parents of the feasible self-employment options for each individual by going through personal skills and what would be needed to earn an income from them, to enable a realistic and informed decision about working for themselves and develop a personal action plan.

• Provide relevant and accessible information and advice, along with guidance and business knowledge on becoming self-employed tailored to the client group. This should include: o How to register as self-employed and comply with HMRC requirements and other regulations around trading law, licensing, health and safety etc. o Defining and validating a business idea and planning to succeed. o Finding customers, helping to identify their own networks and contacts and thinking how to build on these. o Managing money, cash flow, maintaining accounts, universal credit requirements and financing the business appropriately.

• Offer expert and sensitive guidance on the challenges and pitfalls of working for yourself.

• Ensure the clients are in receipt of expert advice on claiming suitable in-work benefits and/or combining self-employment with part-time work.

• Ensure the service is integrated with current provision across the Council and other providers in the borough such as JCP and the council’s Income Maximisation Team (IMAX) to include alignment of provision, referrals and returns to relevant agencies and proactive communication.

• Ensure that the service has a strong understanding and connection to other relevant local provision and refers to Islington’s Learning Centres for skills in English, maths, ICT.

• Continue to provide advice and guidance and a programme of supportive ‘handholding’ in an effective form, or range of forms, for at least six months to ensure sustained self-employment. Within this, the service should imaginatively address particular needs and challenges likely to impact on this group around marketing, network building, self-confidence and maintaining motivation, as well as considering how to address practical barriers such as lack of access to IT, regular childcare or funds to cover registration fees or certificates.

Prospective providers should detail how they will address these challenges and the form or forms in which they will deliver different elements of support. Consideration could be given to some of the following types of activities if prospective providers think appropriate: • Ongoing support and advice generally offered proactively and/or on demand • Signposting to other support offers i.e. Institute of Chartered accountants • Website, or other marketing support • Self-employed mentors • Peer support group • Refresher training 6 months later • Information and reference pack • Brokering self-employment opportunities • Bursary fund to pay some costs, i.e. taxi license – PVDL, or registration fees on websites, tools • Start a campaign to encourage people to use those who are ‘legit’ • Mechanism to enable joint promotion or work space • Running ‘Meet your buyer’ events bringing residents in contact with businesses • Monitoring and regular check-in calls

Suggested strategic partners The provider will be expected to work with: • London Borough of Islington o Islington Working for Parents to receive and make referrals to, to gain information from initial assessments, and general support to the families, particularly those that do not go on to start or sustain self-employment. o Parent Champions who work out of all 3 Islington Learning for Working Learning Centres and who provide outreach and pre-employment support services and will be a key referral route for this project. o Islington Learning for Working learning centres Business Employment Support Team who will be able to help create and identify market opportunities for self-employment using business intelligence and links with employers who take on self-employed people o Income Maximisation Team for better off calculations and assistance with benefit claims o Communications to promote project, publicise success stories etc. o Family Information Service for help with childcare for clients o Single Employer Face Networking Forum, to attend quarterly meeting and keep others in the borough informed and maximise collaboration. • Job Centre Plus to receive referrals from them and also to refer clients on to NEA if appropriate. • Parental Employment Partnership led Working Together Forum where all providers in the borough including ILW; JCP; Families First etc. come together to share good practice and join up working at a grass roots level. • Other business advice organisations in the borough | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Islington | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 31/07/2014 | | | | | 31/08/2014 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 70 | £313 | £21,910 | 31/01/2014 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £1,590 | £1,590 | 31/08/2014 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in self-employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 35 | £900 | £31,500 | 31/01/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained self-employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 20 | £2,000 | £40,000 | 31/07/2014 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £95,000 | 15. Redbridge – Specification 6

Introduction to the borough Redbridge is an outer north east London borough with a fast growing, diverse population. Redbridge is situated in the north-east of the capital, bordering Waltham Forest, Havering, Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Essex. The Borough stretches from Ilford and Seven Kings in the south, through Newbury Park and Barkingside, to Woodford Green, Woodford Bridge and Hainault in the north.

Redbridge forms part of the North East London Sub-Region as defined in the London Plan, which includes the boroughs of Waltham Forest, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and the City of London. It is also part of the North London Strategic Alliance, and the London Cambridge Stansted Consortium, linking it to Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington as well as the District councils of Broxbourne, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford.

Redbridge has excellent transport connectivity, it has one of the best living environments in London with one third of the borough comprised of green open spaces, and schools that consistently achieve national academic excellence. However it has also experienced increasing levels of deprivation and faces increasing challenges as demographic changes bring a fast growing and very diverse population. Redbridge is the fourth most diverse borough in the country and approximately 66 per cent of its population hail from a minority ethnic background. Redbridge has vibrant multi-cultural community with a population of 281,400 residents.

As well as its Outer London borough characteristics, it also has high levels of deprivation in some wards, particularly located in south of the borough, associated with the characteristics of Inner London boroughs. Redbridge’s rank of average deprivation score has improved slightly from the 133rd most deprived in England in 2007, to 134th in 2010. The main areas ranking high on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) remain in the south of the Borough and the least deprived areas in the north west of the Borough. Seven of 21 wards contain Lower layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in the 20% most deprived in England.

When deprivation is considered at ward level, Clementswood remains the most deprived ward in Redbridge. Clementswood, Loxford and Hainault have a relatively high concentration of deprivation in the borough. All of the LSOAs in Clementswood and Loxford are ranked within the 40% most deprived areas in England. Four LSOAs remain in the highest 20% deprived from 2004, to 2010, an LSOA at the most southern end of Loxford ward, the Orchard Estate in Roding and two areas in Valentines ward just north of Ilford High Road. There are now more LSOAs ranking in the highest 20% deprived areas on the Rank of Education and Skills, Crime, Living Environment (Redbridge 2013).

Strategy

Redbridge Employment, Skills and Enterprise Plan 2011 http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/planning_and_the_environment/planning/inward_investment_enterprise.aspx

Redbridge Corporate Strategy 2012-14 Population

Total population - Redbridge is estimated to have a population of 281,400 as at 30th June 2011, a 2,400 increase since Census day on 27th March 2011, and an increase of over 37,000 since 2001. This represents a 15.3% increase, or an annualised increase of 1.43%. If this were to continue, the population would grow by 76,000 to reach 355,000 by 2028.

Census 2011 data shows Redbridge has the second highest total change in London only exceeded by Newham. Tower Hamlets had the third highest change in London.

Redbridge and Newham had the highest figures for net migration. Detailed components of change for migration are not currently available however this could suggest a possible impact from the Olympics construction and regeneration works.

Children - Redbridge is estimated to have 63,400 persons aged between 0 and 15 (23% of the total population)

Working age - Redbridge is estimated to have 184,400 persons aged between 16 and 64 years of age (65% of the total population)

Retirement age - Redbridge is estimated to have 33,600 persons aged 65 and upwards (12% of the total population)

Diversity – Redbridge has the fourth most diverse community in England and Wales. Since 2001, the proportion of White British residents declined by 23 percentage points, while the proportion of Asian/Asian British residents grew by 16 percentage points. 62% of Redbridge residents were born in England, a 12 percentage point decrease since 2001, but in line with the London average. India was the most common birthplace outside the UK for Redbridge residents.

37% of the Redbridge population was Christian, the fourth lowest proportion in England and Wales. Muslim (23%) and Hindu (11%) were the next largest religions in Redbridge, the sixth and fourth highest proportions in England and Wales respectively.

Redbridge had a lower proportion of one-person households and greater proportion of couples with dependent children than the London average.

A higher proportion of Redbridge residents were in very good health than for the country as a whole, although the figure was lower than the London average.

Redbridge residents were more likely to provide unpaid care to family, friends and neighbours (10%) than London as a whole (8%) (Redbridge 2013).

**Geographical targeting**

When deprivation is considered at ward level, Clementswood remains the most deprived ward in Redbridge. Clementswood, Loxford and Hainault have the highest concentrations of deprivation in the borough. All of the LSOAs in Clementswood and Loxford are ranked within the 40% most deprived areas in England. Four LSOAs remain in the highest 20% deprived from 2004 to 2010, an LSOA at the most southern end of Loxford ward, the Orchard Estate in Roding and two areas in Valentines ward just north of Ilford High Road.

The main areas ranking high on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) reflect the highest levels of ‘out of work benefit’ claimants and are predominantly in the south of the Borough. The least deprived areas are in the north west of the Borough, however Hainault in the North East of the borough has a high concentration of deprivation and relatively high ‘out of work benefit’ claimant levels.

The ESF project will be expected to specifically target the following wards:

**Loxford, Clementswood, Valentines, Goodmayes, Seven Kings, Newbury, Roding and Hainault.**

It is expected that at least 50% of participants will come from these wards. These wards are predominantly in the south of the borough, however residents of Hainault in the north east and Roding (Orchard Estate) in the north west experience greater barriers in accessing employment support and provision which is mainly focussed in the south of the borough, and often have to travel to access this support. It is expected that the ESF provider will support residents of these areas by engaging directly in these areas and locating some provision in these wards, as well as assisting residents in overcoming travel barriers. Labour market Over the last four years Redbridge has seen an unprecedented rise in Job Seeker Allowance (JSA) claimants, rising from 3,735 in January 2008 to a peak of 7,408 in February 2010. The claimant rate remained around this level to February 2012 when it stood at 7,242. There has been a gradual but consistent decline in numbers since then with a rate of 6,582 recorded in December 2012. Jobcentre Plus and the Work Redbridge partnership have an aspirational target to reduce this to 6,000 by end 2013/14.

Overall working age benefit claimants have remained around 23,500 over the last four years and totalled 23,270 in March 2012 (Redbridge 2013). There are high concentrations of Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance claimants in Hainault, Loxford and Valentines wards, as well as higher than average Income Support and JSA claimants.

As part of the overall JSA rate, Redbridge has experienced a rise in youth unemployment in recent years as a result of the recession and local and national economic situation. JSA claimant rate for 18–24 year olds rose from 910 in January 2008 to a peak of 2,150 in September 2011. This figure has been gradually declining with some seasonal blips since then and currently stands at around 1,500. Of these, 160 have been unemployed for 6–12 months, and 185 for over 12 months. However, the borough and its partners are aware that the JSA figures do not give a true picture of youth unemployment and NEET levels, as not all young people claim JSA.

Data for October 2012 show the percentage of NEET 16–18 year olds in the borough was 3.6%. Although the NEET cohort in Redbridge is relatively small, the young people have a range of complex issues which are major barriers to engagement. Those most vulnerable with additional needs, including LDD are overrepresented in the NEET group.

Worklessness remains a key issue for the borough, in 2011/12 65.5% of the population aged 16 – 64 was in employment lower than the London average of 68.10% and the National average of 70.30%.

The UK economy’s overall competitiveness has suffered in recent years, and Redbridge has not escaped the impacts of the recession and national and global economic downturn.

Despite the economic weight of central London, the 19 boroughs making up outer London still account for 42% of the city’s jobs and 36% of its economic output, but jobs growth has been far slower and large numbers of workers commute to jobs in central London. Part of the reason for this is that outer London was disproportionately hit by the steep fall in manufacturing employment, but has been a less attractive focus for investment in financial and professional services.

Large numbers of Redbridge residents are employed within the financial services industry, often commuting into central London. The Redbridge economy benefits from this as residents commute into better paying jobs in Central London.

Redbridge’s economy is of a similar scale to its near neighbours and in common with other outer London boroughs, has relatively low productivity. The boroughs main town centre, Ilford, is one of a number of competing retail hubs in East London which include other recognised town centres such as Romford, Lakeside, Bluewater and Stratford Westfield.

Redbridge has experienced falling job density in the last 10 years. This is despite an increase in absolute numbers of jobs (due to increased population). Although almost 40% of Redbridge residents work within the borough, Redbridge is an important supply of labour to central London, highest work destinations outside of the borough are City of London, Westminster and Tower Hamlets.

58% of jobs added in Redbridge between 1999-2007 were accounted for by health and education sectors – notably 82% of all jobs growth in Redbridge has been in sectors largely driven by residential demand.

Employment by ward - the largest labour market is Clementswood ward, which is dominated by public sector employment. This is followed by Valentines, Seven Kings and Newbury. Due to the fact that significant numbers of the Redbridge workforce are employed in public administration, education and health industries, the public sector cuts are likely to have a notable impact across the borough, but particularly in the wards of Clementswood, Seven Kings and Newbury, where the largest numbers are employed within the public sector.

Full-time employment in Redbridge reduced by nearly five percentage points since 2001 whilst part time employment and self-employment showed moderate increases.

Between 2001–2011 professional occupations increased by nearly nine percentage points amongst Redbridge residents. Managers, directors and senior officials and administrative and secretarial occupations both decreased by five percentage points.

Redbridge has high rates of both business formation and failure – ‘churn’. 2009 data on VAT registered businesses show new business start-ups amounted to 13.7% of the total stock, while on average 12.3% of the total business stock failed.

Redbridge is a borough of small businesses. 89.6% of the borough’s c.8,500 businesses have between 1–10 employees. Large businesses, though few in number and predominantly public sector, still account for the largest share of total employment.

The main employment sectors in the borough include:

- Public sector, health and education
- Major Retail, Ilford and the commercial centres of Gants Hill, South Woodford, Wanstead, Barkingside
- Industrial, Hainault Business Park
- Financial and Professional Services
- Evening and night time offer in Ilford, Gants Hill, South Woodford and Wanstead

Key businesses include:

- Bombardier Transportation, Ilford
- Barnardo’s Head Office, Barkingside
- The Exchange Mall, Ilford (owned by Meyer Bergman)
- Archant Media – London Office based in Ilford

Redbridge has two Business Improvement District companies:

- Ilford BID Ltd
- Hainault BID Ltd Ilford is one of the Mayor’s 12 Metropolitan Town Centres/Opportunity Area (London Plan).

The highest number of vacancies notified to JCP are consistently in the Care Sector, followed by Sales Representatives, Labourers, Cleaners and Hospitality staff. There continues to be a weak correlation between the job vacancies available and those sought by JSA customers, and better matching of skills and employment preparation and opportunities available is a high priority for JCP, Work Redbridge and its partners.

**Skills Base:**

Redbridge has high performing schools, most secondary schools have their own Sixth Forms and are academically high achieving.

**NEET**

Redbridge has a relatively low number of young people (16-18) not in Employment, Education or Training. Data for October 2012 show the number of NEET 16-18 year olds in the borough was 3.6%.

**Higher Education**

Redbridge has the highest number of school leavers going onto university in the country. 72% in 2010, although this may have since reduced in the light of introduction of tuition fees.

**Adult skills**

The Redbridge population has higher NVQ4 skill levels than England as a whole, but lower than those in the London average. Redbridge also has a particularly high percentage of people with no qualifications at all.

Anecdotal local evidence suggests that there are high levels of inward migration of people with low skill levels.

**Sources of match funding**

London Borough of Redbridge will match fund £100,000 from S106 funds. Project Specification 6: (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements The project will build on the successes of the Work Redbridge project and partnership, providing a personalised employment support package to those people furthest from the labour market (but not participating in Work Programme provision). The project will be expected to effectively target and engage people from the following target groups:

Parents (including lone parents) - 25% of participants Women - 51% of participants Young People 18-24 not engaged with NEET provision - 20% of participants People 50+ - 20% of participants Ethnic Minorities - 60% of participants People with a health condition or disability - 22% of participants

65% of participants must be economically inactive (ie. Claiming IS or ESA/IB or non-benefit claimants. 35% of participants must be unemployed (ie. Claiming JSA)

Tackling worklessness requires the effective co-ordination and integration of a wide range of services. In Redbridge this is co-ordinated by Work Redbridge, a Council led partnership of 20+ employment and training providers. Work Redbridge has developed a brand which has become known across the borough as an access point to employment and skills provision. Work Redbridge works in close partnership with Jobcentre Plus and is developing a joint SLA with agreed targets.

Work Redbridge provides a virtual information hub on its web pages www.redbridge.gov.uk/workredbridge; delivers weekly outreach information and signposting sessions at different locations across the borough; delivers a weekly work club, IT for Work clubs, and ESOL conversation clubs, as well as co-ordinating a range of other support and events including Jobs, Training and Opportunities Fairs. Work Redbridge aims to ensure that support services are co-ordinated and linked to facilitate effective pathways to employment for people whose needs require that they access a range of different support.

The ESF project provider will be expected to be an integral part of the Work Redbridge partnership and deliver employment support to participants as part of the overall Work Redbridge programme. This will include:-

- Attendance at regular partnership meetings
- Adherence to Work Redbridge code of practice
- Participation in Work Redbridge Outreach and Events
- Close liaison with Work Redbridge advisers on referrals and type of support provided
- Monitoring and reporting on regular basis to ensure services are integrated into overall borough provision.

Effective and sustained engagement of participants will be a key element of this project. The provider will be expected to offer support from a range of community venues including:-

- Libraries • Children’s Centres • Housing offices • Community Centres • Jobcentre • Schools

The provider will be expected to deliver engagement and support services accessible to residents in all the target deprived wards including Hainault in the North East of the Borough and Roding in the North West.

The provider must demonstrate a proven track record of successful working in areas of high labour market deprivation.

**Provision** The provider is expected to deliver a range of engagement, motivation, training and support to meet the employability needs of the most disadvantaged groups in the borough and to achieve the output and outcome targets set out in this specification. The provider will be expected to provide a flexible and tailored package of support to meet the needs of individual participants, and to complement and add value to the existing landscape of support and services provided through the Work Redbridge partnership.

There is a particular need in the borough for:

• ESOL and basic skills training • Employability skills • ICT skills to enable people to apply for and compete for jobs in an increasingly digitised job-search market • Debt advice and financial management skills • Support and information on benefits including Better Off Calculations • Work experience • Mentoring and in work support

There is also a need for support for people with existing skills and experience who have been made redundant and require help in finding employment at a similar level.

The provider will be expected to provide access to all the above provision and tailor to the individual’s needs.

**Suggested strategic partners** • Redbridge Council • Work Redbridge • Work Redbridge Partnership including:- o Jobcentre Plus o Redbridge College o Redbridge Institute • NHS North East London and the City • Redbridge CVS | Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | |----------------------------------------------------------| | **Number of projects to be funded and Borough** | 1 - London Borough of Redbridge | | **Project Timescale** | **Delivery period** | **Start** | **End** | | | **Final Evaluation** | July 2013 | 30/06/2015 | | | | | 31/07/2015 | | **Outputs for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | **Must be achieved by** | | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 142 | £313 | £44,446 | 31/12/2014 | | Participants undertaking a work placement | 50 | £300 | £15,000 | 31/12/2014 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £1,385 | £1,385 | 31/07/2015 | | **Results for payment** | **Number** | **Unit cost** | **Total** | | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 71 | £879 | £62,409 | 31/12/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 40 | £1,419 | £56,760 | 30/06/2015 | | Number of participants in further education and training | 20 | £500 | £10,000 | 30/06/2015 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £190,000 | 16. Sutton – Specification 7

Strategy In June 2012, at the ‘Opportunity Sutton Inward Investment’ event, Sutton took a new approach to economic development and publicly demonstrated its commitment to economic growth and prosperity. The event launched ‘Opportunity Sutton: A Statement for Growth’ to business partners and potential investors. From this, four strategic themes were drawn, namely:

- To create a distinctive and competitive offer.
- To create an enterprising borough
- To ensure sustainable growth – the green economy
- To ensure residents share in the growth by matching skills with demand

A programme of work has been developed to deliver seven priority projects which will provide the tangible economic growth needed to realise these aims. One of the seven projects, ‘Matching Skills with Demand’, proposes a ‘Skills Demand Plan and Job Brokerage system’, which will entail partnership working with larger local businesses to ascertain the skills and qualifications they require from their employees.

This project is part of the strategy and will develop partnerships between the Council and local businesses which will bridge the gap between employer demand and LBS residents’ skills thereby matching local businesses and local residents. As part of this project, partnerships between the Opportunity Sutton team and businesses will be developed and grown which will facilitate job brokerage, work placements and apprenticeships for the borough’s residents.

Whilst the business engagement and job brokerage project will be ‘generic’, ESF funding will be used for a matched funded project to specifically target lone parents (specifically young female lone parents) and remove the barriers to employment that they face. Furthermore, changes to the welfare system and the introduction of the benefit cap are likely to disproportionately affect the financial situation of a number of lone parents in the borough. Population

- 191,100 people live in Sutton, the population is projected to rise to 222,000 by 2021
- 21% of the population are from BAME communities (compared to 13% in 2001) and 8% of the population are from non-British white communities (notably South African, Polish and Irish)
- 25,400 are in the 16-24 age range.

Lone Parents

- Sutton had 1,860 lone parents claiming Housing Benefits (classified as lone parent) in February 2012
- On 30 January 2013 this figure had grown to 1,949 which is a 4.8% increase in a year

Geographical targeting The successful provider should solely concentrate recruitment of participants in St Helier, Wandle Valley and Beddington South wards. These three wards have high levels of lone parents claiming benefits in the borough. In January 2013 the numbers of residents on lone parent benefits were:

- 253 in St Helier Ward
- 272 in Wandle Valley
- 219 in Beddington South

The three wards above account for 38.2% of all lone parents in the borough on 30 January 2013. This represents an increase from 35% in February 2012. There are 18 wards in the borough

Deprivation Index

- Overall, small areas within Sutton are becoming relatively more deprived in comparison with the rest of England.
- There are 6 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA) within Sutton that rank in the 20% most deprived in England.
- 2 Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in the St Helier ward moved into a more deprived quintile from 2007 to 2010.
- St Helier is the most deprived ward in the borough when considering an average of SOA scores (27.53).
- 3 Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in the Wandle Valley ward moved into a more deprived quintile from 2007 to 2010.
- Wandle valley is the second most deprived ward in the borough when considering an average of SOA scores (26.75)

______________________________________________________________________

22 Nomis and LBS Revenues and Benefits 23 Nomis 24 http://www.mertonjsna.org.uk/uploadDocument/PdfDocument/indices%20of%20deprivation%202010%20in%20sutton%20and%20merton%20final.pdf • Beddington South is the third most deprived ward in the borough when considering an average of SOA scores (22.85). • 1 Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in the Beddington South ward moved into a more deprived quintile from 2007 to 2010.

Labour market Sutton had an average of 108,400 economically active residents between January 2012 and December 2012, which represented an economic activity rate of 80.7% which is higher than London and Great Britain (68.6% and 70.4% respectively). However, levels of worklessness are high among lone parents.

The largest employment sectors for Sutton residents are:

• Public administration, education and health (37.3%) • Banking, finance and insurance (21.7%), and • Distribution, hotels and restaurants (16.1%)(^{25})

Sources of match funding The London Borough of Sutton is providing £50,000 of match for this project from core funds. In addition, the borough will provide in-kind support to facilitate job-brokerage and the sourcing of work experience and job-placements.

(^{25}) LSEO indicators for Sutton February 2013. Project Specification 7: (Priority 1.1)

Project description and overview of requirements The successful provider should solely concentrate recruitment of participants in St Helier, Wandle Valley and Beddington South wards.

The target group for this specification is workless lone parents. Bidders should therefore demonstrate in particular how they will address three barriers to employment for lone parents:

1. Lack of confidence and skills in returning to the job market
2. Fear of losing regular benefits and therefore not having a set income to pay bills etc.
3. Childcare (time, finance, and travel) whilst attending training or volunteering

Bidders will be expected to employ at least one advisor who would work at least one day a week from each of the following locations:

- Amy Johnson Centre in the heart of the Beddington South ward (and Roundshaw estate)
- Tweeddale Children’s Centre (in St Helier ward but on the boundary with the Wandle Valley ward).

58 participants should receive a minimum of 6 hours 1-to-1 support per person. The support should include:

- high quality CV writing,
- assistance with writing application forms
- interview techniques, and
- job search and job search strategies

Advisors will be expected to make the lone parents aware of any “in work benefits” and would ensure they are receiving all of their “out of work” benefits. This includes the entitlement to free care for 3 and 4 year olds and free care for 2 year olds (if disadvantaged). A £4,000 childcare fund has been allocated to provide up to one day of childcare if necessary.

The successful provider will be expected to work in partnership with the borough to deliver part of the Opportunity Sutton programme. Sutton Council will ascertain the skills and qualifications required by local businesses. The successful provider will be expected to ensure that its training offer and progression routes for participants are in line with these requirements.

LB Sutton will assist with brokering employment and work experience opportunities for lone parents with local businesses. The successful bidder will be expected to provide candidates ready to fill these opportunities.

The successful bidder will be expected to provide (or commission) formal qualifications across a range of sectors including childcare, teaching assistants, admin, health and social care or similar to at least an NVQ level 2. The successful bidder will be expected to make effective links to local college provision, in particular Carshalton College (Carshalton College has crèche facilities which can be used while qualifications are gained).

These should be directly linked to employers and job opportunities (i.e. teacher’s assistants linked to local schools for further training and job opportunities and customer services courses linked to local businesses). The London Borough of Sutton would assist with engaging with local businesses.

It is envisaged that a proportion of the lone parents would be trained in childcare and would be advised of the associated financial benefits of working in childcare. JCP would provide a discretionary payment for child care based on individual circumstance (this will only apply for lone parents who have not already received funded childcare from JCP). Lone parents would again be expected to use their free entitlement for care before using JCP funded care.

The lone parents on the training would be a mixture of those signposted by DWP (who will have already been through the ‘Launch Pad’ programme so will be ready for the next step and formal qualifications), and those directed by the advisor following outreach and engagement activities. It is envisaged of the 30 courses being provided there will be a 50/50 split (15 from DWP and 15 from the advisor).

**Suggested strategic partners**

- Jobcentre Plus
- Amy Johnson Children’s Centre
- Tweeddale Children’s Centre
- Carshalton College
- Major businesses in London Borough of Sutton
- Other Children’s Centres in London Borough of Sutton
- Benefits service in London Borough of Sutton

Average costs of childcare within the borough are:

- **Day nursery for children under 2 years:**
  - 25 hours care per week: £122
  - 50 hours care per week: £242
- **Day nursery for children aged 2+ years:**
  - 25 hours care per week: £123
  - 50 hours care per week: £245
- **Childminder for children under 2 years:**
  - 25 hours care per week: £124
  - 50 hours care per week: £247
- **Childminder for children aged 2+ years:**
  - 25 hours care per week: £124
  - 50 hours care per week: £249

The Amy Johnson Children’s centre have indicated that crèche cost £12-£15/worker/hour. They have also advised that usually 2 workers/carers are required and would provide one of these for free.

| Specification – Required outputs, results and unit costs | 85 | | Number of projects to be funded and Borough | 1 - London Borough of Sutton | |------------------------------------------|----------------------------| | Project Timescale | Start | End | | Delivery period | July 2013 | 31/12/2014 | | Final Evaluation | | 31/01/2015 |

| Outputs for payment | Number | Unit cost | Total | Must be achieved by | |---------------------|--------|-----------|-------|---------------------| | Number of participants receiving 6+ hours of support (IAG, job search, mentoring, training) | 58 | £313 | £18,154 | 30/06/2014 | | Number of participants achieving a full qualification at NVQ level 2 | 30 | £700 | £21,000 | 31/12/2014 | | Childcare fund | 1 | £4,000 | £4,000 | 31/12/2014 | | Submission of final evaluation report | 1 | £1,692 | £1,692 | 31/01/2015 |

| Results for payment | Number | Unit cost | Total | |---------------------|--------|-----------|-------| | Number of participants in employment within 13 weeks of leaving the project | 28 | £879 | £24,612 | 30/06/2014 | | Number of participants in sustained employment for 26 weeks (6M) | 18 | £1,419 | £25,542 | 31/12/2014 | | Maximum funding available | - | - | £95,000 |

26 Please note this element of the contract will be paid on an actual costs basis. The successful bidder will have to demonstrate evidence of defrayed expenditure to claim against this output. 17. Project duration

Projects will be funded between the dates specified on each individual tender specification. Please note that projects will start no earlier than 1st July 2013 and end no later than 30th June 2015.27

All claimable outputs and results, must be delivered and claimed within the project start and end dates and before the achieved by date listed in each project specification payments table, those dates supersede those listed above.

18. Soft outcomes

Recognising individuals’ personal achievements, or soft outcomes, is an important part of helping people towards finding suitable employment. These ‘soft outcomes’ include for example, helping people to acquire greater self-confidence in their potential or taking steps to overcome barriers to employment.

You will be expected to measure the ‘distance travelled’ by participants while on the project, based on prior assessment and recording of suitable steps. This may take the form of progress reports or self-assessment questionnaires. You will be expected to compile an evaluation report on your project at project close, which will include an assessment of soft outcomes for participants. You should therefore ensure that you collect information on soft outcomes for each participant throughout the lifetime of the project. Organisations unfamiliar with the measurement of soft outcomes will be able to access support and guidance to develop such measures.

Employability Performance Rating

ESF funded projects in London are required to implement the Employability Performance Rating system. The Performance Rating is a comprehensive tool to benchmark the achievements of employability service providers in London. The rating system awards a rating of between four and zero stars against three key areas: delivery performance, quality and contract compliance. Ratings are made public and published biannually. Funded projects will be required to complete the performance rating calculator (PRC) quarterly. One of the requirements is a standardised client completed feedback form. It is expected that this requirement will be integrated into successful bidders soft outcomes measurement systems.

More information about the PRC requirements will be provided during the contracting process and the reporting systems will be provided to you, however an overview of the requirements can be found here: http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/employment-skills/working-partnership/london-employability-performance-rating and http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore

The London Directory of ESF Skills and Employment Services is a new online database that enables advisers to search for services to support workless individuals into employment.

27 Bidders against the LB Sutton specifications should note that the end date for this project is 31/12/2014. It provides a single point of access to information on ESF funded skills and employment services across London funded by the Skills Funding Agency, National Offender Management Service (NOMS), London Councils, Greater London Authority and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), including Work Programme provision.

All ESF and match-funded providers are expected to enter and maintain details of their provision on the London Directory of ESF Skills and Employment Services by completing the online form available from their respective co-financing organisation.

For further details on the directory, please visit the website www.esfdirectory.co.uk or contact the EPMU at the GLA by email to esfdirectory@london.gov.uk.

19. Added value

London Councils, the Boroughs and ESF wish to support projects that could not be delivered without its funding and which bring additional benefits to local and mainstream provision and individuals. This is called ‘added value’.

Your project may provide added value because it increases the number of people who receive the support they need to move towards work, or because it allows you to do more for people than would otherwise be permitted by other funding streams. Alternatively this funding may allow you to continue existing activity which would otherwise be cut back or it may allow you to develop new activities or to fill a gap in provision.

Subject to the eligibility criteria in Section 2, organisations which receive funding from any London Councils or ESF grants programme are welcome to apply for funding under this programme. However, your application should make very clear what additional activity, outputs or achievements you will deliver through this project. Organisations which have previously received a London Councils grant should note that, unlike other grants, the co-financing programme, only fund those costs which relate solely to the cost of the ESF funded project. 20. Financial information

London Councils ESF programmes pay providers on the basis of contracted unit costs. In other words, your project will be paid for the delivery of certain pre-specified outputs and results. The unit costs for each output and result are fixed, and are stated in each project specification. Bidders should note that London Councils reserves the right, in agreement with the participating boroughs, to reduce or increase the value of contracts by up to 100% in line with performance.

London Councils has worked in conjunction with the participating boroughs to develop unit costs for each of the project specifications. It is important to note that each project specification contains different unit costs. London Councils would advise your organisation to plan your project on the basis of the actual costs, your organisation should be able to compare the anticipated budget for delivering the specification with the funding available. Please note that London Councils expects that the project activities you are applying to deliver are not dependent on other sources of funding. By planning your delivery on the basis of actual costs, your organisation should be able to compare the anticipated budget for delivering the specification with the funding available. Please note that unless otherwise stated in the tender specification, the funding and number of outputs/results represent the maximum funding available.

You will be required to submit a project budget as part of your tender. Whilst you will be paid on the basis of contract costs, London Councils’ assessors will be looking at your project budget to check that your contract represents value for money, and that all costs included are ESF eligible. Assessors will also be checking to see that you have included enough staff in your budget to deliver the project. In addition, assessors will be checking that you have included adequate provision for participant support measures such as childcare and also for publicity. These factors will be taken into account as part of the award process.

Staff costs

In this section of the application form you should provide details of all the costs which relate to staffing your project. List the job title of the staff member involved and a short explanation of how the cost was calculated. If there are any other costs relating to staff (e.g. travel, subsistence etc.) you should include them in this section. You should give a brief explanation of how you calculated your costs, to enable assessors to clearly understand what is being funded.

For example -

| Item | Calculation | Amount | |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------| | Trainer | 5hrs per month x 9 months x £16 per hr | £720 | | Travel to outreach centre | 1 person x £3 x 2 per wk x 34 weeks | £204 |

28 Unit costs may be subject to annual review. Participant costs In this section of the application form you should provide details of all the costs relating to items that you will provide to participants. For example, childcare, out of pocket travel costs, allowances, refreshments, equipment that participants may need for training (e.g. protective clothing), and so on. All entries should be itemised and calculations shown to explain the costs.

For example:

| Item | Calculation | Amount | |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------| | Childcare/carer allowance | £50 per wk x 7 people x 34 weeks | £11,900 | | Travel | 10 people x £3 x 3 per wk x 34 weeks | £3,060 |

London Councils expects all projects to provide child or dependent care for participants as required in order to enable them to access the programme.

Other costs In this section of the application form you should provide details of any other costs of your project, which do not relate to staff or participants. This will include other direct and indirect costs of the project, for example, small items of equipment, exam fees, publicity materials, postage, photocopying etc. Indirect costs, which are shared organisational costs e.g. rent, utilities, that cannot be connected directly to project activity and which are difficult to attribute to the project may be claimed but must be apportioned appropriately.

Match funding Co-financing means that you apply for the full amount of your total project cost. The co-financing programme does not require you to produce additional match funding because this is being provided by London Councils and the participating boroughs. Your project should be designed so that the funding provided by the London Councils ESF Borough Programme covers all costs associated with it.

Eligible items of expenditure Funding can cover all the running costs of your project as long as they are ESF eligible (please see below) and you list them in your application. When budgeting, if some items are used for both this project and your other activities, you should apportion the cost as appropriate.

This funding does not cover capital expenditure; it only covers the costs associated with setting up and running your project. However you are permitted to include the purchase of small items of equipment under the value of £1000 per item which are necessary for the delivery of your project.29

29 The purchase of a computer is understood to be a maximum of £999 for the complete computer. You cannot claim separately for each component part such as the monitor, keyboard etc. The computer is to be a complete set up. Eligible

Staff costs:

- Administrative staff;
- Book keeping;
- Business counselling;
- Counselling and guidance;
- Project manager;
- Office manager;
- Outreach staff;
- Project co-ordinator;
- Staff recruitment;
- Staff training;
- Staff travel and subsistence;
- Trainer;
- Tutor; and
- Work experience co-ordinator.

Participant costs:

- Childcare;
- Subsistence;
- Training allowances; and
- Travel costs.

Please note that participant costs can’t be used to fund wage subsidies. Allowances made to participants should be discussed with their JCP advisor before being awarded, to avoid any conflict with their benefit entitlements.

Other costs:

- Advertising and promotion;
- Participant equipment and clothing;
- Cleaning;
- Consultancy;
- Copier rental;
- Depreciation of owned buildings;
- Depreciation of owned equipment;
- Equipment (small items under £1,000);
- Exam fees;
- Fax;
- Insurance;
- Operating equipment lease;
- Postage;
- Professional fees and costs;
- Rent;
- Room hire;
- Service charges; • Stationary and office supplies; • Telephones; and • Utilities.

The following items of expenditure will be ineligible for ESF support: • In-kind contributions which comprise the provision of land, real estate, equipment and unpaid voluntary work; • Purchase of furniture, vehicles and equipment (other than small items of equipment); • Purchase of second hand equipment; • Bank debit charges; • Legal fees; • Fines, financial penalties and expenses arising from litigation; • Purchase of land; • Purchase of real estate (i.e. buildings after construction and the land on which they are built); • Expenditure relating to venture capital, loan and guarantee funds. • Redundancy Costs

Applicants should ensure that the cost of tracking all participants for thirteen weeks when they leave a project has been considered and is built into the project budget. Likewise tracking those participants who progress to a positive employment result and any additional post-employment support offered to participants is also considered in any financial planning. 21. Publicity arrangements

ESF funding carries requirements to:

- ensure that potential and actual participants, project partners, and employers, are aware of the source of support;
- publicise project successes; and
- participate as far as is practicable in London and national ESF publicity initiatives, including providing information for public directories of projects and the Directory of London ESF Skills and Employment Services.

London Councils, borough and ESF logos should be present on all information and forms given to participants and included in all project publicity produced. Further guidance on publicity will be given to successful applicants. There is also an ESF Publicity Toolkit: [http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ef/resources/publicity/](http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ef/resources/publicity/) developed by ESFD for all organisations receiving ESF funds to use it to help review, support and enhance their ESF publicity measures and ensure contract compliance.

ESF funds a project, ESF Works, to showcase projects and products that illustrate the variety of activities taking place under the 2007–2013 European Social Fund (ESF) programme in England. Funded projects may be featured on the ESF Works website and all will have the opportunity to access the resources available there. Please see [http://www.esf-works.com/](http://www.esf-works.com/)

Funded projects will also be required to submit regular case studies using a provided template developed from the national ESF case-study template. Participants will need to be consulted and their permission sought to be used as case studies. These case studies may then be used in local and national publicity strategies.

All publicity materials developed to advertise or promote the project will need to be made available for inspection and approved prior to use. 22. Assessment process

Assessment against criteria All tenders submitted under this round will be carefully assessed against the criteria set out in this guidance, the questions asked in the application forms and the tender specifications and their fit with the stated objectives will be judged. This guidance fits within the framework of targets and objectives set out in the Co-financing Plan and projects must therefore contribute towards achieving the Co-financing Plan targets. Projects’ proposed outputs and value for money will also be assessed e.g. assessors will check your budget to see that you have given due consideration to staff numbers and participant costs, the track record of your organisation will also be considered. Funds are limited and not all projects which apply will receive funding. It is therefore important that you demonstrate in your project application how your project meets the criteria laid out in this guidance.

Your project must fit one of the specifications outlined in the separate tender specification document. Once the assessor is satisfied that your project and organisation is eligible for support, the rest of your application will be scored by awarding points against each of the assessment questions. Instructions on completing the tender form are included with each question in the application, and should be read carefully before you complete your answer. Each tender will be scored separately by two independent assessors. The tender form sets out the points available for each part of each question.

All applicants must achieve the minimum score on cross cutting themes (see Gateway Criteria, Section 5 above) in order to be considered for funding. Applicants who achieve sufficient points on this question will then be subject to a minimum quality threshold on the application as a whole: projects that score lower than 50% will not be funded, even if there is sufficient funding remaining.

References London Councils intends to reference delivery organisations through its network of Borough grants officers, to verify whether the organisation has experience of working within the Boroughs and with the particular participant group relevant to this application.

If you do not consider that the relevant officer has sufficient knowledge of your organisation to provide this reference, please supply details of an alternative referee in the tender form.

The appraisal panels Following scoring, an appraisal panel will be convened to assess each project on the criteria outlined above. The panel will comprise of senior representatives from the London Councils’ ESF team and the relevant borough(s). Other participants may be invited to join the appraisal panel should the number of applications warrant this. The appraisal panel will consider each project in score order, taking into account the further factors of value for money and the project’s fit within the strategic framework set out under the co-financing plan. Track record on previous London Councils and other funded provision will also be taken into account.

30 London Councils reserves the right to shortlist candidates and to invite organisations back for interview where scores against specifications are close and the panel cannot make a final decision without further information. The recommendations from the appraisal panel will then be presented to an independent external panel which will include:

- a representative from a suitable general voluntary sector umbrella organisation;
- other co-financing organisations; and
- representatives on behalf of the Managing Authority for ESF in London (the European Programmes Management Unit)

The external panel will take a strategic view of the projects submitted, including their duration, the extent to which they contribute to the co-financing plan and the Regional ESF Framework. This process will ensure that the projects chosen meet the aims and objectives outlined in London Councils’ ESF CFO Plan and the London Regional ESF Framework. It will also help to ensure that there is no duplication of activities. Track record of delivery for other funders may also be taken into account when making award decisions.

Following this panel meeting, results will be made available to applicants. All applicants will be provided with their scores, and unsuccessful projects will be given feedback about the reasons for the decision, if requested in writing. This feedback will include a summary of the assessors’ comments to help clarify the reasons for the decision. Unsuccessful applicants will be given the right of appeal on certain conditions. 23. Appeals

The selection process will be as open, objective and fair as possible but because the amount of funding available through London Councils ESF Borough Programme is limited, only a small number of projects can be funded. Applicants whose projects have not been selected for funding will have the right to appeal. There are two grounds for appeal following standard ESF practice.

For an appeal to be considered the applicant will need to make a case (by presenting convincing evidence in writing) that the scoring panel and/or appraisers had either:

- demonstrated bias against the proposed project; or
- made a decision that no reasonable person would make.

Due to the limited funding available, it is likely that a number of good proposals will not be successful. Most disappointed applicants tend to think that their tender deserved a higher score. However, a simple disagreement with the score will not suffice, nor will repetition of information already provided in the application. **No new information can be considered**, but clarification or further explanation of an answer could be relevant. An unsubstantiated allegation of bias or unreasonableness, or an appeal based on the fact that the project has been successful in the past will not be investigated further, and the appeal will fail. Your appeal therefore needs to be clear, state on what grounds it is based and then explain why this conclusion has been reached. Decisions reached after appeal will be final.

If London Councils agrees to consider an appeal the application will be re-scored independently (by people not involved in the original scoring) and re-appraised. This could result in an increase, a decrease or no change in the original total score. If the appeal is successful, London Councils will seek to enter into contract with the provider where possible.

24. Monitoring and reporting on your project

London Councils has to report to the Managing Authority for ESF on the progress of the ESF co-financing programme each quarter as part of the procedure for claiming funds. These reports will include data on participants, on project activities and on total expenditure.

Successful applicants will therefore be required to submit reports at the end of each quarter. These reports will enable London Councils to meet the ESF and its own reporting requirements but will also form the basis for monitoring your project progress and achievements. Successful projects may also be monitored by and have reports requested of them by the Borough providing the match funding.

Organisations will be given full advice in the pre-contracting phase on the information which must be recorded and reported and the implications for project procedures and systems. For further information see the [London Councils ESF Co-financing Plan](#).

All funded organisations that enter a contract with London Councils are required to store project records until 31 December 2022, this requirement will be written into your contract. London Councils provides guidance to funded organisations about the storing of project records electronically in line with ESF requirements. 25. Payment arrangements

London Councils will provide an advance payment to all funded organisations.

15% of the agreed grant will be paid in advance to providers upon satisfactory completion of funding agreements with London Councils. Payments in the final quarters of delivery will be reduced to take into account the initial first advance payment.

London Councils will then pay providers quarterly in arrears on the basis of contract costs. Projects will be paid for the delivery of pre-specified outputs. These are described in Section 9.

Please note: London Councils is generally unable to recover any Value Added Tax charged. Therefore, the maximum sum stated in the project specifications listed above includes any VAT or other taxes charged. Under the provision of item 5A to group 6 of schedule 9 of the VAT Act 1994, the supply of education or vocational training funded by London Councils, and the supply by the person providing that education or training, of any goods or services essential to that provision, is an exempt supply for VAT purposes. In addition, the maximum sum stated in the project specification should include provision for direct costs to participants such as childcare, travel, subsistence, or participant incentives. 26. Key initiatives

This section is included to inform providers of good practice being promoted and developed through national skills and employment initiatives and also those across London. When designing your project and writing your tender, you should consider how your organisation links with the following initiatives:

Department for Work and Pensions

The DWP have a number of major welfare to work reforms which aim to fight poverty, support the most vulnerable and help people break the cycle of benefit dependency as part of their Get Britain Working strategy. Further details of the full range of initiatives can be found here: [http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/get-britain-working/#britain](http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/get-britain-working/#britain)

Providers are expected to consider how their provision will be distinctive from these initiatives.

The Work Programme:

The Government is committed to fighting poverty and supporting the most vulnerable and helping people break the cycle of benefit dependency. As a result significant reforms to the welfare-to-work programmes currently available to Jobcentre Plus customers are being made.

The Spending Review 2010, announced on 20 October 2010, confirmed the DWP’s commitment to reform and the introduction of the Work Programme. The Work Programme represents a step change for Welfare to Work, it will replace much of the confusing array of existing programmes for unemployed people.

The Work Programme will base payments largely on results, and paying providers from the benefits saved from getting people into work. It is a partnership between Government and providers from across the public, private and third sectors - including social enterprises.

The Work Programme is now in place nationally.

The Work Programme delivers provision for, JSA and ESA individuals, and when Universal Credit is introduced it is expected to support similar relevant individuals.

Individuals will be referred onto the Work Programme at different milestones, and for some participants that referral may either be Mandatory or Voluntary.

| Customer Group | Time of Referral | Basis for referral | |----------------|------------------|--------------------| | Jobseekers Allowance customers aged 18 to 24 | From 9 months | Mandatory | | Jobseekers Allowance customers aged 25 and over | From 12 months | Mandatory | | Jobseeker Allowance - Early Access customers facing significant disadvantage (e.g. young people with significant barriers, NEETs, ex-offenders) | From 3 months | Mandatory or voluntary depending on circumstance | Jobseekers Allowance customers who have recently moved from Incapacity Benefit | From 3 months | Mandatory ---|---|--- All Employment Support Allowance customers including contribution based, work related activity unlikely to be fit for work in the short term and support group customers. | At any time | Voluntary Employment Support Allowance flow (income related) customers who are placed in the Work Related Activity Group and Support Group | At any time | Mandatory or voluntary depending on circumstance Ex-Incapacity Benefit Employment Support Allowance (income related) customers who are placed in the Work Related Activity Group and Support Group (who have recently moved from Incapacity Benefit) | At any time | Mandatory or voluntary depending on circumstance Income Support and incapacity benefit customers | At any time | Voluntary

Incapacity Benefit and Income Support customers who have undergone reassessment and have a known Work Capability Assessment outcome, will remain on the Work Programme if placed in the ESA Work Related Activity Group or on JSA, with the conditionality appropriate to their new benefit.

The London Region’s contract package areas (CPA) is split into East and West, with three Prime contractors in each CAP. These organisations are:

| West London | Ingeus UK Ltd | Maximus Employment UK Ltd | Reed in Partnership | |---|---|---|---| | East London | A4E Ltd | Careers Development Group (CDG) * | Seetec |

DWP has a Framework Agreement for the provision of employment related support services including the new Work Programme and the next round of ESF contracts.

The Framework competition was launched in June 2010 and information about the preferred suppliers was published in November 2010 and can be found on the DWP website through the link below.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfare-to-work-services/framework-for-the-provision/

DWP ESF funds for 2011-2013 will focus on: • Support for disadvantaged customers claiming Incapacity Benefit or Income Support, through voluntary participation in the new Work Programme • Targeted support to tackle worklessness in families with multiple problems. • Day One Support for Young People (18-24)

Support for Families with Multiple Problems Provision aims to tackle entrenched worklessness in England by progressing people in families with multiple problems closer to employment.

The provision is aimed at families with multiple problems and complex needs where:

• At least one member of the family receives a DWP working age benefit; and • Either no one in the family is working, or there is a history of worklessness across generations.

This provision is voluntary and focuses on providing a whole family approach, making support available to individual family members across the generations. It involves Providers working closely with Local Authorities (LAs) to identify families who can benefit from this provision.

This provision will not duplicate, and should complement and align with, local provision

Primes will work with Local Authorities to explore local opportunities and to ensure that proposals are appropriate.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfare-to-work-services/european-social-fund/support-for-families/

The ‘Day One support for Young People Trailblazer’ programme launched in autumn 2012. It is aimed at young people aged 18-24 who have never worked or with little work history. The project is time limited and is expected to run for around 11 months with 8 months referral. It is being delivered in the North and South London Districts by Maximus Employment and Training Ltd and Careers Development Group respectively. From the start of their claim members of the target group will be required to undertake a 13 week work placement which has to be of benefit to the community with a private or community-sector organisation - alongside provider-led jobsearch.

More details are available on DWP’s website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfare-to-work-services/day-one-support-young-people/

Skills Funding Agency

Register of Training Organisations

The Skills Funding Agency have a register of training organisations, it’s role is to: confirm which organisations with an existing funding agreement are suitable to continue to fund; to provide the Skills Funding Agency with a list of organisations that are eligible to be selected to be invited to tender for the provision of education and training services; to enable the Skills Funding Agency to identify which subcontractors (organisations who do not hold a direct contract) prime contractors need to be asked to undertake a higher level of due diligence, monitoring and review on.

http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/programmes/register/

All organisations wishing to deliver education and vocational training services on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency (including provision for adults co-financed by ESF) need to be on the Register.

ESF provision for 14-19 year olds

For 14-19 ESF provision, the Skills Funding Agency acts on behalf of the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) to procure and contract manage ESF activity for young people.

In London, the Skills Funding Agency ran a tendering round for the provision of activity to support the ‘at risk of becoming NEET’ group, plus pre-Apprenticeship specifications for NEETs and those at risk of becoming NEET.

- New providers need to register on the portal in order to access the relevant documents.
- https://skillsfundingagency.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

In the current ESF programme, running from 2007-13, the Skills Funding Agency is responsible for ESF learning provision to the 19+ age group.

It also manages ESF provision for learners aged 14-19, as a shared service for the Education Funding Agency (EFA). A technical document supporting the shared service agreement details specific issues such as match funding, audit and publicity.

For adults, the Skills Funding Agency primarily procures and manages ESF provision that helps to develop a skilled and adaptable workforce in England: to help unemployed people re-enter the labour market; to support individuals with low skills in employment; and to engage with the hardest to reach individuals.

For young people, ESF will support young people aged 14-19 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and those at risk of becoming so. They will likely be those who face multiple barriers to their participation and need a different type of offer of post 16 provision to engage them in learning and keep them engaged. The main focus of using ESF monies for the period 2011-13 will be in conjunction with the EFA, securing the continued provision of individually tailored packages of education and support, which will enable the engagement of such young people.

The Skills Funding Agency currently funds four ESF projects to support adults and young people.

1. **Skills Support for the Unemployed** ensures that capacity is in place to provide skills support to unemployed individuals on benefits who are looking for work but face a skills barrier to entering the labour market. The Agency procures provision which will ensure adults (aged 19 and over) are given the right level of skills and employability support that they need to improve their chances of gaining employment (including starting an Apprenticeship). This activity is delivered in partnership with the Apprenticeship Grant to Employers, which provides financing support to small employers taking on an apprentice as a progression from Skills Support for the Unemployed (SSU).

2. **Skills Support for Redundancy** provision ensures that capacity is in place to respond to redundancies and the employment implications of local economic conditions. The Agency procures training opportunities for individuals who are: under consultation or notice of redundancy; have been notified by their employer that they are likely to be directly affected by downsizing or company closure locally; or have recently been made unemployed.

3. Employed individuals with low skills can benefit from **Workplace Learning**, which promotes in-work progression through the delivery of work related skills training. The Skills Funding Agency is seeking to fund provision that will raise their level of attainment, enabling individuals to improve their employment status and to move on to undertake higher levels of training.

   There should be particular focus on those more vulnerable to future unemployment, with barriers to achieving sustainable employment, such as individuals aged 19-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and who are recently unemployed.

4. For the ESF Programme in England, the Skills Funding Agency also manages **Community Grants**. This project provides grants of up to £12,000 to allow small third sector organisations, which would not normally be able to access ESF, through simplified arrangements. These grants support a range of activities that help individuals in the hardest to reach communities to enter the labour market. Community Grants funding must not duplicate provision made available through mainstream ESF activity from the Skills Funding Agency.

   A series of grant co-ordinating bodies administer Community Grants for the Skills Funding Agency on a regional basis. They publicise the availability of grants as well as providing support to successful applicants. In London this activity is coordinated by London Councils.

In addition to these four main projects, the Skills Funding Agency will also use ESF to contribute additional and enhanced provision to mainstream programmes such as Apprenticeships. ESF will add value by preparing participants with pre-Apprenticeship training and supporting access to and progression within Apprenticeships and other Workplace Learning.

**Greater London Authority (GLA)**

Co-funded by the [European Social Fund](https://www.gov.uk/european-social-fund), the GLA's new Youth programme's focus is the provision of skills, employment and training to support vulnerable young Londoners. Helping young people to succeed in education and preparing them for work is key to the economic success of the capital. The Mayor has identified this as a priority in his Young Londoners - successful futures plan.

The GLA’s ESF programme will give young people opportunities to improve their skills and increase their chances to access further education and long-term sustainable employment.

The GLA’s ESF Youth Programme Prospectus which contains the detailed Statement of Requirements for each youth project was published on 28 February 2012. The procurement for this funding round has closed.

**National Offender Management Service (NOMS)**

Following conclusion of the procurement exercise for the second round of the NOMS European Social Fund co-financing programme (2011 – 2014), the award of the London Prime Provider contract went to Working Links (Employment) Ltd.

The fundamental objective of the contract is to enhance the employability prospects of offenders by bridging the existing gaps between offenders and mainstream education, skills and employment services before, during and after release from custody. The Contract complements, rather than duplicates or competes with existing service arrangements with delivery built around a case management model operating across both custody and the community. In addition, there is a focus on specified hard-to-help groups (i.e. sub-projects) in the region.

The selected Prime Providers have named and engaged with a range of sub-contractors to ensure successful delivery of regional targets. The supply chain for the contracts show a good mix of organisations from different sectors, including probation trusts, private sector businesses, charities and voluntary and community groups.

The following project was also launched in London to continue ‘NOMS’ commitment to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the social enterprise sector:

**Furnish – Overview:** Vehicle and Warehouse assistants will collect and deliver furniture to customers and sort warehouse orders. Provision of ‘Fit Out’ services for landlords, e.g. curtaining and flooring. Office assistants will undertake a wide range of office services, from telephone answering to product ordering and client interaction.

**ESF Technical Assistance (TA) Projects**

Technical Assistance is provided under Priority 3 of the London 2007-13 European Social Fund (ESF) Programme. It supports programme implementation, including programme management and development to reinforce the administrative capacity.

**London Datastore**

Applicants are encouraged to make use of the labour market information available on the datastore, which includes statistics at borough level: [http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore](http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore). The London Skills and Employment Observatory was recently integrated with the London Datastore.

**The Age and Employment Network (TAEN)**

TAEN works to promote an effective labour market that serves the needs of people in mid and later life, employers and the economy.

TAEN run a national TA project nationally to support the national ESF programme’s objectives related to people aged 50+. They aim to:

- to raise awareness and spreading information and understanding of the specific issues people face in the labour market as they get older and wish to maintain or extend their working lives;
- to assist organisations involved in the ESF programme to work effectively with older clients in order to help them remain in or return to work;
- to highlight examples of good practice;
- to strengthen the focus on participants aged 50 and over.

[http://taen.org.uk/esf](http://taen.org.uk/esf)

**London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC)**

LVSC delivers an ESF funded TA project to enhance support for voluntary/community organisations seeking to access ESF funding. The project also facilitates partnership working between providers in London.

In general LVSC aims to:

- Lead the London voluntary and community sector in developing the strategy for learning & skills and in promoting this to the policy makers.
- Help voluntary and community sector organisations to provide high quality training/services by and for socially excluded groups in London with particular attention to funds available from the European Union.

[http://www.lvsc.org.uk/](http://www.lvsc.org.uk/)

**GLE Borough ESF TA Project**

GLE is currently providing support to help London local authorities influence, plan and engage in the delivery of ESF provision in their area. They will be launching a new webpage dedicated to this project during September 2012, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please email james.h@gle.co.uk.

**Green Mark**

Green Mark is an environmental certification which is being offered free to ESF funded organisations. Green Mark helps organisations to improve environmental and economic sustainability through awareness and integrating environmental measures within their operations. The TA project will offer support to organisations to undertake the Green Mark accreditation including telephone and email support during the process. There is a limited amount of support available and organisations will be supported on a first-come-first-served basis.

http://greenmark.co.uk/

ESF WORKS ESF Works is the showcase and forum for policy & practice lessons from the 2007-2013 ESF programme in England. ESF-works regularly collect case studies and share best practice from all the ESF projects across the country.

http://www.esf-works.com/

Other Initiatives

Changes to benefits: Universal Credit The DWP is planning an overhaul of the current method of payments in the welfare system. It is the Coalition Government’s intention to introduce legislation to reform the welfare system by creating a new Universal Credit. When designing these specifications this planned change has been taken into account, prospective projects are advised to consider how they will adapt to the changes. Further information is available in the White Paper: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/universal-credit/

Community budgets Community budgets represent a shift in how central government funding is directed to boroughs and how that funding is allocated.

- Pool various strands of central funding into a single ‘pot’ for tackling social problems. Boroughs then allocate the funding against the priorities in their region.
- Over the next few years this method of allocation is expected to be rolled out across the country.
- Community budgets are now running in 16 areas. In London the boroughs are:
  - Barnet
  - Croydon
  - Islington
  - Lewisham
  - Westminster,
  - Hammersmith and Fulham,
  - Kensington & Chelsea
  - Wandsworth

Further information can be found here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1748111

The Mayors Economic Development Strategy The Economic Development Strategy sets out the vision with respect to the London economy, and how it can be realised. The Mayor’s ambitions are for London to be the World Capital of Business, and to have the most competitive business environment in the world; to be one of the world’s leading low carbon capitals, for all Londoners to share in London’s economic success and for London to maximise the benefits of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

The Economic Development Strategy is a call to action for all those involved in London’s economy and concerned with its success.

http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/mayor/publications/business-and-economy/eds

London Enterprise Panel

The London Enterprise Panel’s role is to advise the Mayor on actions to provide strategic investment to support private sector growth and employment in London; promote enterprise and innovation; promote the acquisition of skills for sustained employment in London; and Protect and enhance London’s competitiveness.

£41m has been allocated to the LEP to unlock potential areas of growth in the capital, and an additional £70 million Growing Places Fund (GPF), was awarded to the London Enterprise Panel in the March Budget.

http://www.london.gov.uk/business-economy/working-partnership/lep and http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=253

National Apprenticeships Service (NAS)

Apprenticeships are a key part of the post-16 education offer and will play a central role in the Government’s plans for growing skills in the economy. World-class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All, published by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in January 2008, indicated the Government’s intention to increase the Apprenticeship opportunities available through those employers already offering high-quality Apprenticeships.

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) was announced in January 2008 and officially launched in April 2009. Reporting to the Departments for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the service will drive forward the Government’s ambition for Apprenticeships. The service aims to bring about a significant growth in the number of employers offering Apprenticeships.

The NAS will assume total responsibility for the delivery of Apprenticeships that includes: Employer Services; Learner Services; and a web-based vacancy matching system. This online system enables individuals to search and apply for live vacancies and allows employers, and their training providers to advertise their vacancies to a wide range of interested applicants.

For more information on Apprenticeships, please go to http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/About-Us/National-Apprenticeship-Service.aspx Diversity Works Diversity Works for London is the Mayor of London's campaign to engage organisations in harnessing the benefits of a diverse workforce and supplier base, providing all Londoners with a chance to share in the city's opportunities and prosperity.

The website includes practical tools to implement diversity in the workplace. Providers can consider using these tools when working with employers within ESF projects (for more information, please see http://www.diversityworksforlondon.com).

Skills for Life Skills for Life include supporting adult learners with improving their basic literacy, numeracy, language and ICT skills. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training forms part of Skills for Life.

Further Education and Skills Providers delivering skills are advised to refer to relevant Government reports when planning projects.

The Government’s strategy for skills and reform of the further education and skills system can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-quality-of-further-education-and-skills-training

In November 2010 the government set out their vision in Skills for Sustainable Growth and the funding to support this. In December 2011 they published New Challenges, New Chances, their reform plan building on Skills for Sustainable Growth, and the Skills Investment Statement 2011-2014.

Unionlearn Unionlearn was established by the TUC to help unions to become learning organisations, with programmes for union representatives and regional officers and strategic support for national officers.

National Careers Service – Information, Advice and Guidance The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential, helpful and impartial advice, supported by qualified careers advisers. (https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx).

Skills for Business – Sector Skills Councils The Skills for Business network aims to boost the productivity and profitability of the UK by identifying and tackling skills gaps and shortages on a sector by sector basis. In short, they aim to get the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.

The Skills for Business network is made up of 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) – each one is an employer-led, independent organisation. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils underpin the network.

Projects tendering for ESF under this ITT are advised to liaise with the relevant SSC for the identified sector being targeted (see http://www.sscalliance.org). 27. Contacts

For technical queries regarding the application process please contact:

**David Jones**, London Councils ESF Co-financing Programme Manager david.jones@londoncouncils.gov.uk 020 7934 9952

or

**Stephen Boon**, Head of Community Services and Grants. stephen.boon@londoncouncils.gov.uk 020 7934 9951

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/grants

For other support, including a discussion of your project, please contact:

**Steve Kerr**, Policy Officer – Employment and Skills steve@lvsc.org.uk 020 7832 5811

London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) 2nd floor, 200a Pentonville Road London N1 9JP

http://www.lvsc.org.uk/

If you wish to contact the borough in which your project will take place, please see below:

| Name | Organisation | Contact details | |-----------------|--------------|----------------------------------| | Alka Nepali | Brent | alka.nepali@brent.gov.uk | | Anna Loughlin | Enfield | Anna.loughlin@enfield.gov.uk | | Jason Davis | Hackney | Jason.Davis@Hackney.gov.uk | | Amanda Lewsey | Havering | amanda.lewsey@havering.gov.uk | | Lorraine Roberts| Islington | Lorraine.Roberts@islington.gov.uk| | Julie Khan | Redbridge | Julie.Khan@redbridge.gov.uk | | Matthew Robson | Sutton | Matthew.Robson@sutton.gov.uk | | London Co-financing Organisations: | |-----------------------------------| | **London Councils** | | David Jones | | London Councils ESF Programme Manager | | Contact details above | | Stephen Boon (London Councils) | | Head of Grants and Community Services | | Contact details above | | London Councils | | 59 ½ Southwark Street | | London | | SE1 0AL | | http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk | | **London Development Agency** | | Julie Sexton | | Senior Manager - Programme Delivery | | 020 7983 5610 | | julie.sexton@london.gov.uk | | ESF Delivery Unit, Communities and Intelligence, Greater London Authority | | City Hall, The Queen’s Walk | | More London | | London SE1 2AA | | http://www.london.gov.uk/ | | **Skills Funding Agency** | | Joyce Roberts | | Joyce.roberts@skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk | | Neil Roberts | | Neil.Roberts@skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk | | Skills Funding Agency | | Cheylesmore House | | Quinton Road | | Coventry | | CV1 2WT | | http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/ | | **Jobcentre Plus/Department of Work and Pensions** | | Philip Naniewski | | Regional ESF Manager for London | | 020 7342 3106 | | 07961 130359 | | philip.naniewski@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk | | Jobcentre Plus | | Office of the Director | | European Social Fund | | Tresco House | | 65 Lisson Grove | | London NW1 6UW | | http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk | | **NOMS** | | Sharon Flynn | | Regional Engagement Manager London | | Directorate of Commissioning and Commercial Development | | 030 0047 5866 | | Sharon.Flynn@noms.gsi.gov.uk | | National Offender Management Service | | 2.08, Clive House, 70 Petty France | | London | | SW1H 9EX | | http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/noms/ | Annex 1. Sustainable development: Further information

What is Sustainable Development? Sustainable Development is a process that seeks to ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It does this by integrating social, environmental and economic considerations equally into everything we do. It recognises that social, economic and environmental issues are interdependent and therefore activity in one of these areas should not be pursued in isolation but with consideration for each of the other areas as well.

National Context

The coalition government is committed to being the greenest government ever. It is taking action to cut carbon emissions, create the conditions for green growth, and improve resilience to climate change – all of which is necessary for delivering sustainable development and long term economic growth.

The Secretaries of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for Energy and Climate Change will take the lead in mainstreaming sustainable development across government, and work is underway to develop the governance and framework for achieving this.

In addition, government aims to lead by example by reducing the emissions of the government estate by 10% and ensuring government purchases sustainable goods and services.

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to building sustainable development into all its policies, plans and decisions as well as procuring sustainable goods and services.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/resources/sustainable-development/#q3

Sustainable development training tools to design and implement a sustainable development policy and plan are available from:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/esf/resources/sustainable-development/sustainable-development-tools/

Regional Context

The Mayor has a clear vision of London being recognised as a world leader in improving the environment locally and globally. He is focusing on realising this vision through big, bold programmes for improvement and an ongoing determination to encourage everyone to get involved and work together.

London is striving to be one of the greenest cities in the world. This is the only way we will preserve and improve London and the quality of life of all Londoners and in so doing lead the world in tackling environmental issues. The Mayor has set out his overriding environmental strategy in Leading to a greener London, an environment programme for the capital.

This is supported by strategies focusing on air quality, water, waste, noise, biodiversity, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation and energy.

More details about all of the above can be found at: http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/environment

**Application Process and Information**

As part of the application process you will have to illustrate how you have considered and integrated into your project all the three elements of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental. There will also be an accompanying sustainable development checklist that you will have to complete and you should use this to identify the activity that you will provide further information on in the sustainable development section of the application form. Annex 2. Checklist – Health cross cutting theme

The ESF programmes have potential to improve the health of Londoners.

Below are some key questions that you should consider when developing your project. These should help your project meet the requirements of the new health cross-cutting theme in the London ESF Programme.

Some questions will be more relevant than others, as some projects will specifically aim to get people with health problems into work.

There is no expectation that every project will answer yes to each question.

| | Question | YES/NO | |---|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------| | 1 | Is your project working with individuals with health issues including those with mental ill health issues? | | | 2 | Have you contacted your Primary Care Trust (PCT) and local Health Improvement Programme in order to develop your project? | | | 3 | Have you considered the links with sustainable development and equalities objectives? | | | 4 | Will your project offer health promotion information to your participants? | | | 5 | Will your project refer individuals onto health services locally, where this is appropriate? | | Annex 3. Core Participant MI Requirement (ESF and Match)

**Identification data**

- Priority Project Number
- Transfer Date

NOTE: Characteristics such as Region, Objective and Priority can be derived from the above project number.

**Individual participant details**

| Variable | Descriptors | Definition | |--------------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | All starters | | | | Gender | Male/Female | The gender of the participant | | Age | Date of Birth | The full date of birth of the participant | | Identifier | Participant identifier | The unique number by which the CFO identifies an individual participant. May be required for follow up surveys. | | Location | Postcode | The full postcode of the address that the participant resides at | | Participation| Start date | The date that the participant started on the ESF project. | | Status | Employed | Participants who are in paid employment on the day they commence an ESF project. |

______________________________________________________________________

31 For DWP, this is the 12 digit numeric client reference no. For LSC, this is the provider code followed by the client number. 32 A MI participant record is required for each participation in the programme by an individual. | Variable | Descriptors | Definition | |--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | participant must work 8 hours or more per week. | This includes: | | | | • Employees (people who work for a company and have their National Insurance paid directly from their wages) and | | | | • Self-employed (people who work for themselves and generally pay their National Insurance themselves). | | Unemployed | Participants who are without a job and available to start work and looking for work, or waiting to start a job that has already been obtained, as at the date they started on the ESF project. This includes people who are working fewer than 16 hours a week but who are signing on and report their earnings to Jobcentre Plus. | | Economically inactive | Participants who are not employed, but who do not satisfy the ILO criteria for unemployment. This is because they are either not seeking work or are unavailable to start work. | | Full time education or training | A participant who satisfies one of the following criteria but is not a 14-19 NEET: | • Full-time education either in a school, A FE Institution or a HE institution | | | | • In full-time Work-based learning (including apprenticeships, Entry to Employment and NVQ learning) | | | | Other education or training (including independent colleges or training centres or receiving training or part-time education but not currently employed. | | 14 -19 NEET | Participants aged 14-19 who on joining an ESF project who are not in: | |

33 The values for ‘status’ are mutually exclusive i.e. a participant can only belong to one of these categories not more than one. | Variable | Descriptors | Definition | |----------|-------------|------------| | | | - Full-time education either in a school, A FE Institution or a HE institution or\
| | | - Work-based learning (including apprenticeships, Entry to Employment and NVQ learning or\
| | | - Other education or training (including independent colleges or training centres or receiving training or part-time education but not currently employed) or\
| | | - Employment\
| | | And\
| | | Participants aged 14 and 15 who are at risk of becoming NEET when they leave school, for example those identified by the Connexions Service as needing ‘support’ or ‘intensive support’. | | If unemployed | Length of unemployment on starting | Only for those whose status is Unemployed. Set to zero for participants who are not unemployed.\
| | < 6 months | Information on length of unemployment to be provided using bandings provided (i.e. less than six months; 6-11 months etc). | | | 6 – 11 months |\
| | 12 – 23 months |\
| | 24 – 35 months |\
| | 36 + months |

34 Young people in part-time learning (less than 16 hours) are included in ‘full-time education and training’ and are not counted as NEET. | Variable | Descriptors | Definition | |-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Ethnicity | **White**<br>1) British<br>2) Irish<br>3) Other<br><br>**Mixed**<br>4) White and Black Caribbean<br>5) White and Black African<br>6) White and Asian<br>7) Other mixed background<br><br>**Asian or Asian British**<br>8) Indian<br>9) Pakistani<br>10) Bangladeshi<br>11) Other Asian background<br><br>**Black or Black British**<br>12) Caribbean<br>13) African<br>14) Other Black background<br><br>**Chinese or other ethnic group**<br>15) Chinese<br>16) Any other ethnic group<br><br>**Prefer not to say**<br>17) Not stated |

35 One only of the 17 ethnicity options to be used for each participant. | Disability | Disabled/with health conditions (Yes/No) | Participants who on joining an ESF project report having a: | |------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | | | - Work-limiting disability or learning difficulty (which includes long term health problems); or | | | | - A current disability covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). | | | | A ‘work-limiting disability’ is a long-term health problem disability or learning difficulty that affects the amount or type of work a person can do. | | | | The DDA defines disability as a ‘physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. To count as disabling under this definition an impairment must be physical or mental, have a substantial adverse effect on day to day activities and be long-term. | | | | When this variable is set to ‘yes’ this indicates that the participant has either indicated that they have a disability or suffer from a health condition or have a disability and also suffer from a health condition. | | | | When set to ‘no’ this indicates that a participant has indicated that they do not have a disability and do not suffer from a health condition | | Highest level of qualification held | None | Participants who do not have a QCA defined relevant qualification at any level. | |-----------------------------------|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Below Level 1 | | Participants who on starting ESF do not have a relevant full qualification at level 1 or above (as defined in the QCA National Qualifications Framework). | | Level 1 or equivalent | | Participants who on starting ESF have a relevant full qualification at level 1 or the equivalent | | Level 2 or equivalent | | Participants who on starting ESF have a relevant full qualification at level 2 or the equivalent | | Level 3 or equivalent | | Participants who on starting ESF have a relevant full qualification at level 3 or the equivalent | | Level 4 or equivalent | | Participants who on starting ESF have a relevant full qualification at level 4 or the equivalent | | Level 5 or higher or equivalent | | Participants who on starting ESF have a relevant full qualification at level 5 or the equivalent | | Not known | | This value indicates that it is not known which relevant qualifications the participant does or does not hold. |

(N.B ‘Relevant’ means a qualification relevant to the sector in which a participant is working or seeking to work. For example, a participant may have academic qualifications at level 2 but these may not be relevant to the sector or occupation. Or a participant may have a level 2 vocational qualification which relates to an old or declining industry, and is not relevant to their current sector or organisation).

______________________________________________________________________

36 These values are mutually exclusive i.e. it is only the highest level relevant qualification for a participant that is recorded. | Date of leaving | End date | The date that the participant left the ESF project | |----------------|----------|--------------------------------------------------| | Leaving status | | | | Employed | | Participants who are in employment within 13 weeks of leaving an ESF project in a job that lasts for 8 hours or more per week. This includes employees and self-employed people. | | Unemployed | | Participants who on leaving the ESF project are unemployed. | | Economically inactive | | Participants who on leaving the ESF project are economically inactive | | Into education or training | | Participants who on leaving the ESF project are in education or training | | 14 – 19 NEET | | Participants who are classified as '14-19 NEET' on leaving the ESF project |

37 The values for 'leaving status' are mutually exclusive i.e. a participant can only belong to one category. | Qualifications gained | Gained no qualification | Participants who did not acquire any relevant new qualifications after participating in the ESF project | |-----------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Gained basics skills qualifications | A participant who gained a Skills for Life entry level, level 1 or level 2 qualification in literacy or numeracy or language (e.g. ESOL) or ICT, as a result of the ESF project (even if the qualification is awarded after the participant has left the project). | | Gained Level 1 | A participant who acquired a relevant level 1 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. | | Gained Level 2 | A participant who acquired a relevant level 2 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. | | Gained Level 3 | A participant who acquired a relevant level 3 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. | | Gained Level 4 | A participant who acquired a relevant level 4 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. | | Gained Level 5 or higher | A participant who acquired a relevant level 5 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. |

38 These values are not mutually exclusive. Any qualification that a participant has acquired must be recorded i.e. a participant may acquire one or more qualifications. | Priority 2 and 5 leavers | |-------------------------| | Date of leaving | End date | The date that the participant left the project | | Leaving status | Into education or training (Yes/No) | Participants who on leaving the ESF project are in education or training | | Qualifications gained | Gained no qualification | Gained basic skills qualifications | Gained Level 1 | Gained units or modules of level 2 qualifications | Gained Level 2 | Gained units or modules of level 3 qualifications | Gained Level 3 | Gained units or modules of level 4 qualifications | Gained Level 4 | Gained Level 5 or higher | |-----------------------|-------------------------|-----------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------------|-------------------------| | | A participant, who did not acquire any relevant new qualifications after participating in the ESF project | A participant who acquired a Skills for Life qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project | A participant who acquired a relevant level 1 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project | A participant who gains at least one unit or module of a level 2 qualification, but not a full level 2 qualification as a result of participating in an ESF project | A participant who acquired a relevant level 2 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project | A participant who gains at least one unit or module of a level 3 qualification, but not a full level 3 qualification as a result of participating in an ESF project | A participant who acquired a relevant level 3 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project | A participant who gains at least one unit or module of a level 4 qualification, but not a full level 4 qualification as a result of participating in an ESF project | A participant who acquired a relevant level 4 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project | A participant who acquired a relevant level 5 qualification as a result of participating in the ESF project. |

39 These values are not mutually exclusive. Any qualification that a participant has acquired must be recorded i.e. a participant may acquire one or more qualifications.

[^3]: http://www.london.gov.uk/esf/regional-framework